🎬 Big Earnings Week

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👋 Good morning! Well, that didn’t last long: AMC's already walking back its July decision to pack in more pre-show ads. The theater chain that proudly warned customers to "allow 25-30 extra minutes” ended up caving to studio pressure after (shocker) moviegoers were skipping the trailers entirely. So much for that revenue boost.

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

How last week’s new releases are stacking up…

• 🇬🇧 My Oxford Year: (Netflix) It’s a soft debut for a film that should’ve been a surefire hit. 6.9M hours streamed in its opening weekend. Far from breakout territory.

• 😂 Leanne: (Netflix) 17.9M hours watched in its first week, ranking low among Netflix originals. For reference, ‘The Hunting Wives’ brought in 30.1M hours of viewing time in its first week.

• 🛡️Chief of War: (Apple TV+) 1.7M season views in its opening weekend with just 2 episodes released so far. Middle-of-the-pack by Apple standards, but stronger than Momoa’s last Apple series ‘See.’

Top-streamed chart (U.S.) Aug. 1 to Aug. 7. Data provided by Luminate.

MARKET WATCH
📊 Big earnings week for Hollywood…

Some of Hollywood’s biggest players dropped their quarterly numbers this week. Here's what you need to know:

🏰 Disney’s making a super app…

• Disney's folding Hulu into Disney+ in 2026—subscribers can keep separate plans but everything will live in one app.

• The new ESPN streaming app launches Aug. 21 at $30/month, fresh off a $1.6B WWE deal and the NFL taking a 10% stake in ESPN.

• Mixed results: Disney+ added 1.8M subscribers globally (though U.S. growth stalled) and will stop reporting subscriber numbers next year like Netflix. Traditional TV revenue fell 15% while the film studio lost $21M on weak performances ('Elio', 'Thunderbolts').

• Going forward: Iger claims to value originals but specifically touted converting animation to live-action (like 'Moana') as a "great opportunity."

💔 WBD’s prepping for divorce…

• What's working: Theatrical revenue surged 55% to $3.8B thanks to their strong theatrical slate. They're targeting 12-14 films per year going forward. HBO Max added 3.4M global subscribers and remains profitable.

• What's not: Linear TV revenue is down 9%, profits down 24%.

• The split makes sense: Warner Bros assets (movies, HBO Max) are thriving while Discovery's cable networks face serious challenges. Looking ahead, they're planning HBO Max password crackdowns in September and future price hikes.

📊 Also reporting…

• Lionsgate: Posted a $94M net loss after splitting from Starz. Their John Wick spinoff 'Ballerina' underperformed, and now they’re banking on future tentpoles: new 'Hunger Games,' Michael Jackson biopic, Mel Gibson's ‘Passion of the Christ’ sequel. CEO Feltheimer says a merger is "probably gonna happen" as they seek scale.

• Sony: Theatrical revenue fell 13% but TV production jumped 39%, driving overall profits up 76%.

The bigger picture: Studios are playing it safe right now, doubling down on what works, cutting what doesn't, and taking minimal creative risks.

CLOSEUP
📽️ CAA vs Range, Universal, and WGA…

🏢 A judge delivered a mixed ruling in the CAA vs. Range showdown. A Los Angeles court tossed CAA's claims that ex-agents stole trade secrets when founding Range in 2020, but kept alive the big question: is Range illegally operating as a talent agency while calling itself a management company? Agencies like CAA face strict rules: they can only take 10% commissions and can't receive producer credits or fees. Management companies have no such restrictions. If Range wins, it proves ex-agents can simply rebrand as "managers" to escape agency regulations and offer deals agencies legally can't (like taking producer credits instead of commissions). With talent already ditching agents for managers' flexibility, this ruling could trigger an industry exodus of agents jumping ship to become "managers" overnight.

‼️ Hollywood's adding a new warning to movie credits. Universal Pictures is slapping "may not be used to train AI" notices on films starting with 'How to Train Your Dragon.' The warning threatens prosecution for "unauthorized duplication," though whether that'll hold up in court is anyone’s guess. If it does, studios could collect $150k per-work statutory damages. The timing isn't coincidental: Universal and Disney are currently suing Midjourney after the AI tool was caught reproducing near-exact frames and characters from copyrighted films. The move's sparked debate online, with reactions ranging from 'about time' to 'good luck with that.'

📹 The Writers Guild is coming for creators. As the WGA's priorities take shape for 2026 contract negotiations with studios, one unexpected focus is emerging: organizing YouTube show writers and podcast creators. With working writers dropping to just 5,228 last year (the lowest since 2013) the guild knows it needs to expand beyond traditional TV and film. Board candidates are pushing to unionize YouTube and podcast writers in a "nuanced way." Creator channels now make scripted sitcoms and soap operas that go head-to-head with traditional studios. Of course, it's still early days and priorities could shift before negotiations next year.

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LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Rob Lowe is set to star in and produce indie dark comedy ‘The Musical,’ opposite Gillian Jacobs and Will Brill. (more)

• Paramount greenlights ‘High Side,’ reuniting James Mangold and Timothée Chalamet for a motocross crime thriller. (more)

• Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson and Cory Michael Smith will star in Joe Swanberg’s untitled Alaskan romantic drama. (more)

• James Gunn will write and direct a new ‘Super-Family’ film, continuing his expansion of the DCEU after ‘Superman.’ (more)

• Cuba Gooding Jr. will star in the neo-Western thriller ‘The Madness of Judge Jeremiah Doherty’, directed by Nika Agiashvili. (more)

• Eddie Murphy will star in ‘Playas Ball,’ an undead action comedy from ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ director Kyle Newacheck and Imagine Entertainment. (more)

• Aubrey Plaza will star as Heidi Fleiss in ‘The Heidi Fleiss Story,’ a biopic co-written by Rachel Sennott about the infamous Hollywood madam. (more)

• Dave Bautista is in talks to play the Kurgan opposite Henry Cavill in Amazon MGM’s reboot of ‘Highlander.’ (more)

• Michael Bay exits Netflix’s ‘Fast and Loose’ amid creative differences with Will Smith, with the streamer eyeing a 2026 shoot for the action thriller. (more)

TV Development 📺

• ‘Vought Rising’ adds four new series regulars to the ‘Boys’ prequel, joining returning stars Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash. (more)

• Neon will release Genki Kawamura’s video game adaptation ‘Exit 8’ in theaters in early 2026. (more)

• CBS taps Logan Marshall-Green to star alongside Luke Grimes in ‘Y: Marshals,’ a ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff debuting spring 2026. (more)

• Eva Longoria will star in Amazon MGM’s ‘The Last Sunrise’ alongside Maia Reficco, playing the lead’s protective mother. (more)

• ‘Phony’ starring Connie Britton and Sam Nivola has been greenlit at Hulu as a half-hour coming-of-age mystery. (more)

• ‘Goosebumps’ has been canceled at Disney+ after two seasons. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Ramón Rodríguez has signed a multi-year first-look deal with 20th Television following the success of ‘Will Trent.’ (more)

• Venice Film Festival confirmed a cyberattack exposed attendee names, contact info, and tax data ahead of this year’s event. (more)

• Vice Media secures a $75M credit facility to expand its studio slate, with chief Amy Powell eyeing scripted projects and franchise-worthy IP. (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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RELEASE RADAR
📅 This week’s new releases…

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Weapons: (96% RT) Mystery horror from 'Barbarian' director Zach Cregger starring Josh Brolin and Julia Garner.

• Freakier Friday: (73% RT) Sequel to the 2003 body-swap comedy with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan returning

📺 STREAMING

• Platonic: (Apple TV+) S2 of the comedy series starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen.

• Wednesday: (Netflix) S2 Part 1 of the supernatural mystery series starring Jenna Ortega.

• Outlander: Blood of My Blood: (Starz) Historical romance prequel to 'Outlander.'

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW: Zach Cregger's mystery horror 'Weapons' and Disney's nostalgia play 'Freakier Friday' are both eyeing $30-35M debuts in a too-close-to-call race for #1. 'Weapons' has the edge with IMAX screens and a 96% RT score.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments