🎬 Back in Business

👋 Good morning! After 50 years of staying away from Comic-Con’s famous Hall H, George Lucas finally made his debut yesterday, and he came bearing gifts. The legendary filmmaker unveiled the first look at his long-awaited Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, calling it "a temple to the people" who create the visual stories that move us. Set to open in 2026 near LA's Exposition Park, the museum will house Lucas's personal 50-year art collection, featuring everything from Frida Kahlo paintings to life-size Naboo starfighters.

Welcome to The Dailies. Monday means fresh box office numbers and weekend industry news to unpack. Grab your coffee and we’ll get you caught up.

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
🎟️ A four-midable weekend at the box office…

1. 🦸‍♂️ The Fantastic Four: First Steps: 🆕 $118M domestic opening, $218M global debut. Marvel's first family delivers a successful big-screen outing, matching ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's’ opening. Strong international performance with the biggest superhero opening of 2025 in several major markets, though a concerning 21% of the domestic weekend came from Thursday previews (well above the typical 10-15%), suggesting heavy fan front-loading. Still, it's the year's fourth-biggest opener and a much-needed win for the MCU after recent stumbles.

2. 🦸‍♂️ Superman: (Wk 3) $24.9M domestic weekend (-57%), $289.5M domestic total, $502.7M global. Takes a predictable tumble but remains rock-solid with strong international performance.

3. 🦕 Jurassic World Rebirth: (Wk 4) $13M domestic weekend (-45%), $301.5M domestic total, $718M global.

4. 🏎️ F1: (Wk 5) $6.2M domestic weekend (-37%), $165.6M domestic total, $509M global.

5. 🔵 Smurfs: (Wk 2) $5.4M domestic weekend (-50%), $22.7M domestic total, $69M global.

6. 🔪 I Know What You Did Last Summer: (Wk 2) $5.1M domestic weekend (-60%), $23.5M domestic total, $45.5M global.

7. 🐉 How to Train Your Dragon: (Wk 7) $2.8M domestic weekend (-48%), $257M domestic total, $498M global.

8. 🤠 Eddington: (Wk 2) $1.66M domestic weekend (-62%), $8.1M domestic total.

9. 🎬 Saiyaara: (Wk 2) $1.29M domestic weekend (+131%), $3.25M domestic total. The Bollywood import continues to serve its niche audience with impressive holds in limited release.

10. 👋 Oh, Hi!: 🆕 $1.13M domestic opening. Sony Pictures Classics' indie debut manages modest results in major markets including NYC, LA, and Chicago.

The big picture: This weekend brought in a solid $185M, up 28.5% from last week but still 35% behind last year's ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ weekend. Both Marvel and DC are disproving the superhero fatigue narrative, putting Marvel back in business. With no major competition until October's ‘Tron: Ares,’ ‘Fantastic Four’ has a clear runway ahead to prove its staying power.

CLOSEUP
🎬 Skydance-Paramount has a closing date…

With regulatory approval in the rearview mirror, the $8B Skydance-Paramount merger now has a tentative closing date of August 7th. That means David Ellison and team are just weeks away from taking the keys to CBS, MTV Networks, and Paramount Pictures.

Here's what to expect once the deal closes…

• 📺 The streaming challenge: Paramount+ has 79M subscribers—respectable, but still far behind Netflix’s 300M+ and can't truly compete with Netflix's war chest. The new tech-savvy owners promise UI improvements and may pursue partnerships with rival streamers. Co-CEO Chris McCarthy (the brains behind Paramount+ originals) will exit when the merger completes.

• 🔄 Asset shuffle expected: With streaming officially overtaking broadcast and cable, industry watchers expect Skydance to spin off cable networks like MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central—just like Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast are doing. Some dealmakers also speculate CBS News could be spun off separately, similar to how Fox News was divorced from entertainment when Murdoch sold to Disney.

• 📰 News division reset: CBS News just named veteran insider Tanya Simon as the new ‘60 Minutes’ executive producer—a choice backed by the program's correspondents after longtime showrunner Bill Owens’ recent departure. The program remains CBS's most profitable show, though industry observers are watching how the news operation evolves under new ownership.

• 🎬 The movie studio needs CPR: Paramount Pictures accounts for just 7% of the domestic box office. Despite hits like ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ the century-old studio has struggled with its franchise output in recent years. David Ellison plans to install Skydance's Dana Goldberg as the new film chief—and he's inheriting a treasure chest of IP including ‘Transformers,’ ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Mission: Impossible,’ ‘SpongeBob,’ ‘Sonic,’ and ‘TMNT.’ Expect a serious franchise revival.

• 🏈 The NFL wildcard: Ownership changes allow the NFL to reopen CBS's contract for Sunday games, AFC Championship, and Super Bowls—meaning they could potentially move that programming to another network. Without the NFL, CBS would face catastrophic revenue loss. Commissioner Goodell says he doesn’t anticipate changes, but he's got a two-year window to make that call.

• 💰 Cost-cutting: Skydance has promised $2B in cost savings across the combined company. Like any major merger, there will be redundancies between the two organizations—expect layoffs as the new leadership streamlines operations.

Looking ahead… The end is finally in sight for this 13-month merger saga. August 7th officially launches Paramount Skydance Corp and marks the beginning of a new era for these entertainment brands.

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CLOSEUP
📈 “Niche” sports are having their moment…

Sports outside the Big Four leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) are building serious momentum, powered by breakout stars, fresh rivalries, and sports-adjacent content like Netflix documentaries. What networks once dismissed as "niche" programming without big enough fan bases is suddenly attracting millions of viewers and serious investment from both broadcasters and streamers. Some numbers:

• 🏀 WNBA viewership surged 23% year-over-year on national TV, with CBS games averaging 1.38M viewers—matching typical MLB regular season audiences. Three of the league's five most-watched games ever aired this season.

• 🎾 Wimbledon hit a 6-year high on ESPN, with the men's final up 26% to 3.2M viewers. The Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry is fueling a new generation of tennis fans. Meanwhile, the women's final grew 18% to 1.9M.

• ⚽ Soccer is breaking records: The CONCACAF Gold Cup final drew 3.73M viewers on Fox—up 246% from 2023. Women's Euro quarterfinals more than doubled their 2022 viewership.

• 🏎️ Formula 1 reached new highs at 1.3M average viewers on ESPN, up 17% this year. Since Netflix's ‘Drive to Survive’ debuted in 2019, F1 viewership has more than doubled from ~554K.

Sure, these aren't NFL or NBA playoff numbers—but they don't need to be. What matters is they're delivering consistent, growing audiences at a fraction of the price.

Why it’s an attractive bet for platforms…

For networks fighting cord-cutting, it's simple math: The NFL costs $110B over 11 years, while the WNBA's upcoming $2.2B deal delivers MLB-sized audiences. These properties provide must-watch live content that's gold for advertisers.

For streamers, these sports offer exclusive content that keeps subscribers engaged and reduces churn without NFL-sized investments. Apple's reported $150M+ bid for F1 rights earlier this month (nearly double ESPN's current deal) shows they're willing to pay up for properties that can differentiate them in a crowded market.

Looking ahead… “Niche” is starting to feel like the wrong word. The WNBA's new $2.2B rights deal starting in 2026 (more than triple its current value) shows where things are heading. As traditional viewing continues its decline and platforms desperately seek appointment viewing, expect networks and streamers alike to battle for more up-and-coming properties like these.

ICYMI
🦸 Comic-Con quick hits…

🎬 Major studios largely skipped Hall H's 6,500-seat venue citing scheduling conflicts and rising costs, but badges still sold out in hours. Clearly fan enthusiasm remains strong regardless.

🦸 James Gunn kept DC's Comic-Con presence minimal, showing only ‘Peacemaker’ S2 footage (set to Ozzy Osbourne's ‘Road to Nowhere’). No other big reveals despite having plenty in the pipeline.

🚀 Amazon's MGM division made its first-ever Hall H appearance, showcasing ‘Project Hail Mary’ starring Ryan Gosling (March 2026 theatrical release). The streaming giant's Comic-Con debut shows they're serious about theatrical releases and tapping Comic-Con marketing.

🐺 ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ officially lives again. The completed Looney Tunes film was shelved by WBD in 2023 for a tax write-off (the same fate as ‘Batgirl’), but Ketchup Entertainment rescued it and will release it in theaters August 28, 2026. The Hall H panel featured a comedic bit with fans booing an actor dressed as an "ACME corporate goon."

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• ‘Crossed’ has cast Devin Druid and Ash Santos as leads in the post-apocalyptic horror film from ‘The Boys’ creator Garth Ennis. (more)

• Gary Dauberman’s Coin Operated is developing horror film ‘He Never Dies,’ written and directed by ‘Brightburn’ filmmaker David Yarovesky. (more)

TV Development 📺

• ‘Rick and Morty’ spinoff ‘President Curtis’ is officially a go at Adult Swim, with Keith David returning as the voice of the POTUS. (more)

• ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ has been renewed for a fourth and final season, with production starting soon in Spain. (more)

Business 🤝

• Matt Baldovsky has joined Adventure Media, reuniting with former ICM colleagues Chris Von Goetz and James Robins Early. (more)

• Great American Media will produce 20+ films and shows with Robert Halmi’s Great Point Studios, starting with ‘A Christmas Spark.’ (more)

• Proximity Media has parted ways with three execs as contracts for Kalia King, Hannah Levy, and Rebecca Cho were not renewed. (more)

Other News 🚨

• ‘The Pitt’ PAs have launched a landmark unionization drive, backed by LiUNA, in a first-of-its-kind move for scripted TV support staff. (more)

• ‘Love Island USA’ S7 is now Peacock’s most-watched original ever, with over 300M hours streamed in six weeks. (more)

• Like The Dailies? Meet Morning Brew: A free, witty, 5-minute read on business, finance, and tech. Over 4M professionals swear by it—your inbox will thank you. (more)*

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