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🎬 Barbenheimmer: Hollywood Wake-Up Call? 😴

🎬 Barbenheimmer: Hollywood Wake-Up Call? 😴

PLUS: Bob Iger hands over keys to the kingdom? 🗝️

The Dailies
July 24, 2023

👋 Good morning and welcome to the Dailies! Hollywood news simplified, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday. Let's dive in...

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

Barbenheimer Revolution
Iger Handing Over Keys to Disney?
AI Pledges
SAG Woos Online Creators
Kering In Talks to Buy CAA
Development Notes
Latest Trailers

But first, as usual, let’s take a look at what people went to see this weekend…

LAST WEEKEND’S
BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN 🎟️

Barbie: Warner Bros.' comedy opened with a bang, raking in $155.0M in first place, making it the #24 opening weekend of all time. It also claimed the #1 opening weekend of 2023, outperforming The Super Mario Bros. Movie. With a 65% female audience and a strong word-of-mouth, Barbie has the potential to be the highest-grossing film of the year.💃

Oppenheimer: Universal's historical war drama packed a punch, scoring $80.5M in second place, marking writer-director Christopher Nolan's highest non-Batman opening. Audiences are loving it, and it's on track to surpass the box office performance of other World War II films, making it a strong contender in the biopic category.💣

Sound of Freedom: The faith-based film from Angel Studios jumped to second place, showing a surprising +37% increase, outdoing many of its genre peers.🙏

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One: Despite a solid debut, the Paramount sequel suffered a steep -64% second-week drop. It's trailing past Mission: Impossible installments.🕵️‍♂️

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Falling -45% in its fourth week, the sequel is lagging behind its predecessor. 🤠

Insidious: The Red Door: Sony's horror flick showed a steady -50% drop in its third week, outperforming its franchise counterparts.🚪

Elemental: Pixar's animated original remained strong, with a -36% decline in its sixth week, surpassing other recent Pixar movies.🌊

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Sony's sequel held steady with a -53% drop, outpacing its predecessor with a $375.2M total.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Despite a -67% drop, it's outperforming Transformers' past installments.🤖💥

Theater Camp: The mockumentary from Searchlight Pictures expanded to 51 theaters with a diverse audience and is expected to grow further.🎭

💡SPOTLIGHT💡

'Barbenheimmer' Revolution
Hollywood Wake-up Call?

Smashing Records 🏆

'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' didn't just break records; they dismantled a host of challenges that would torpedo most films. Who'd have thought a film about a doll and a historical biopic would rock the box office?

Despite competing release dates, both movies overcame the odds and resonated with audiences. They both debuted with record-breaking earnings, showing Hollywood that the unexpected can lead to extraordinary success.

Changing Tastes 🤩

It seems that people are tired of the same old, same old. Sequels and reboots? Yawn. 🥱Audiences are hungry for new, bold, and original tales now. 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' heard the call and brought their A-game.

Unlike the tired tropes and predictable narratives of the 'Mission Impossible' franchise that saw its latest installment flop, 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' went where few dared to tread. No reboots, no sequels, just fresh and innovative storytelling.

Greta Gerwig's take on the world's most famous doll in 'Barbie' and Christopher Nolan's delve into the world of nuclear physics with 'Oppenheimer' demonstrated vision and boldness. These aren't just movies, but transformative narratives told by visionary filmmakers.

The point here? Fresh stories beat repetitive ones. Hollywood, it's time to take note that audiences’ tastes might be changing. Actually, it seems some already are: Bob Iger recently made waves when he announced that Disney would be putting less focus on franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. The message is loud and clear: It's time for fresh, bold, original content.

In Westwood after seeing “Oppenheimer,” Quentin Tarantino walks across the street and buys a ticket to see “Barbie.”
— Saul Gonzalez (@SaulGonzalezCA)
2:08 AM • Jul 23, 2023

Marketing Masterclass 🔊

Another key factor to their success? 'Barbie' didn't just market a film—it created a cultural phenomenon. It went all out, partnering with over 100 brands to promote pink Crocs, a Prada line, and even pride floats. The result? An electrifying buzz that swept the globe.

Big film marketing isn't cheap. Yet Barbie’s partners were more than ready to shell out tens of millions for promotion. These partnerships are believed to have been worth $70 million, not even counting the priceless publicity that came with it.

Barbie's marketing embraced the quirky and playful. A teaser trailer spoofed '2001: A Space Odyssey,' while Ryan Gosling's 'Ken-ergy' and Barbie-themed pride floats kept the playful tone alive.

Intriguingly, this hype train may have also given a surprise passenger a lift: 'Oppenheimer.' It seems some of that wild excitement bled over, leading the film to do even better than projections.

🗣ACTION!💬

Is Bob Iger Ready to Hand Over the Disney Keys to Apple?🤔🏰 Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, who made Disney a powerhouse by acquiring Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm, is now selling a third of the company, including TV networks like ABC and FX. Well, the cable TV party seems to be losing its sparkle, and even the mighty Disney+ and Hulu haven't fully cracked the code. Meanwhile, Netflix is on a roll, with a strong Q2 and high expectations for its advertising business and crackdown on password sharing. We’ve also caught wind of this juicy rumor bouncing around that Iger may consider selling all of Disney to Apple, which could have significant implications for the entertainment industry. Hollywood's landscape is changing, and it's time to see what the future holds! 😱

This is a rumor I am hearing as well…
Not happening like, tomorrow, but it’s now in the realm of possible…
I am very against #Disney being owned by another company, I would prefer they remain independent and fix their current issues.
— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph)
2:06 AM • Jul 17, 2023

AI Pledges: The Battle of Creativity and Control in Film Industry 🎞️🤖 Leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Google, Meta, have voluntarily agreed to manage the risks posed by AI technology. They pledged to allow independent security testing of their AI systems before release, share information with the government about technology safety, and more, aiming to increase transparency in the field. However, there is no reporting regime or timeline to legally enforce their commitments. The rise of AI in creative processes has raised concerns among artists, writers, and actors who fear it may undermine their labor and creativity. The voluntary agreements made by leading AI companies aim to address some of these concerns, but many argue that stronger oversight and regulation are needed to protect creators and ensure responsible AI practices in the industry. The development comes amid the current SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in Hollywood, which highlight many of these concerns.

SAG-AFTRA Wooing Online Creators Amid Strike 😎 Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA, revealed to the Washington Post that the guild is making strategic efforts to enlist additional online creators into its membership. The move is part of the union's response to the ongoing strike and potential future labor disputes involving technology giants like Apple and Amazon, which operate at the intersection of traditional entertainment and the burgeoning creator economy. SAG-AFTRA had previously opened its doors to creators in 2021 with the "influencer agreement." Recently, the union advised content creators to abstain from promoting any content associated with "struck" companies, as doing so could hinder their chances of membership in the future. While the exact number of influencers who have joined the union remains undisclosed, Crabtree-Ireland emphasized the increasing importance of creativity and talent in content creation, regardless of the platform, be it YouTube, TikTok, Reels, or the silver screen.

CAA in Advanced Talks with French Billionaire for $7 Billion Majority Stake 🤝 Hollywood talent agency CAA is reportedly in advanced discussions to sell a majority stake to Francois-Henri Pinault, the French billionaire behind luxury and fashion empire Kering. This deal could bring Kering closer to the entertainment world and strengthen CAA's presence in Europe. As SAG-AFTRA goes on strike, actors' participation in premieres, interviews, and social media promotions is affected, making this acquisition talk relevant during a crucial time for Hollywood talent. 🌟

🗒️ DEVELOPMENT NOTES 🗒️

Jamie Foxx takes to Instagram to tell fans that he is recovering from an illness that had him hospitalized. (Watch his video 👉 here)
The Continental, John Wick prequel sets premier date on Peacock. (more)
Walking Dead spinoff Daryl Dixon renewed for a second season, despite first season not being released yet. (more)
Zendaya’s Challengers is pulled from Venice Film Festival due to SAG strike. (more)
The second half of Yellowstone S5 remains on hold amid SAG and WGA strike. (more)
Greta Gerwig breaks opening weekend record for female director. (more)
AMC Theaters drops its strategy of charging different prices for different seats within the theater. (more)
Lionsgate sets 2024 release for Borderlands feature. (more)
Johnathan Levine’s Dirty Dancing sequel is moving its Feb 2024 release to Summer 2025. (more)
Hulu’s The Bear draws strong streaming numbers as its second season premieres. (more)