🎬 The Deal Is DONE... 👻

👋 Good morning! Welcome back to the Dailies.

We hope you had a fantastic holiday season filled with joy, relaxation, and maybe a movie marathon or two. As we step into 2024, it's time to shake off the confetti, sweep up the last of the glitter, and dive into a fresh year of Hollywood happenings.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Streamer Struggle

• Horror Hitmakers Unite

• Iger Faces Power Play

• 2024's Ad-Supported Streaming War

• Animation Bonanza

• Last Looks 👀: Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Video Village 📀

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, it’s Thursday, so let’s take a look at what people were watching this week… 👀

MOST STREAMED THIS WEEK

📉💻 Streamer Struggle: Customers are ditching their streaming subs left and right, nudging big names like Hulu and Netflix to get creative with bundles, sweet deals, and ad-filled options. Cancellations have spiked to 6.3% from last year’s 5.1%. As prices climb, viewers are getting picky, cancelling and re-subscribing based on what's worth their bucks and what's not. In this game of streaming musical chairs, streamers are hustling to keep viewers hooked in a landscape of ever-changing viewer loyalty.

🎬👻 Horror Hitmakers Unite: Jason Blum's Blumhouse and James Wan's Atomic Monster have officially merged, forming a horror film juggernaut in a market where the genre remains a reliable attraction. The collaboration, which previously produced hits like 'M3GAN' and the 'Insidious' franchise, promises to maintain creative independence under a shared roof and potentially double annual theatrical releases. This strategic union comes as both Blum and Wan continue to dominate the genre, with recent successes and ongoing projects, solidifying their position in an industry increasingly eager to secure horror talents.

🏰🎢 Iger Faces Power Play: Disney CEO Bob Iger is gearing up for a formidable challenge as ousted Marvel boss Ike Perlmutter, activist investor Nelson Peltz, and well-respected former Disney exec Jay Rasulo join forces in a potentially significant shake-up at Disney. What’s the backstory? These once influential figures within the company felt overlooked and sidelined under Iger’s time. Now, while Disney navigates a series of operational and image challenges under Iger's leadership, they’re uniting over shared grievances and a vision for change. With their collective experience, the trio's campaign could sway shareholders dissatisfied with the status quo, especially as they push for board seats and possibly the CEO position.

📊📺 2024's Ad-Supported Streaming War: Amazon Prime Video's ad-tier introduction on January 29 is set to shake up the streaming landscape. Prime members will automatically be opted-in to the ad-supported model, projecting a massive viewership and intensifying competition among giants like Hulu, Peacock, and Netflix. Ad buyers are optimistic that the intensified rivalry among platforms will spark innovations and more favorable pricing, but also push for better targeting capabilities and more transparent measurement standards.

🎬🍿 Animation Bonanza: 2024 is shaping up to be an animation lover's paradise with an array of offerings from big studio franchises to mature animated fare. Expectations are high after 2023's hits like ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ and ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ with upcoming releases including:

• Kung Fu Panda 4

• The Garfield Movie 

• Inside Out 2

• The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

This year promises a rich variety of animated storytelling, aiming to continue the genre's box office draw and critical acclaim that we saw in 2023.

Development 🗒️

• Jack Black is set to join the cast of Warner Bros' upcoming 'Minecraft' movie, led by Jason Momoa. (more)

• Steven Yeun drops out of Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’ due to strike-related rescheduling. (more)

• Morris Chestnut is set to star in Arthur Conan Doyle-inspired drama ‘Watson.’ (more)

• CNN Studios launches four-part documentary series ‘The Many Lives of Martha Stewart.’ (more)

• Disney+/Hulu will globally premiere 'Uncle Samsik,' a South Korean drama featuring Song Kang-ho's first series role and co-starring Byun Yo-han. (more)

• Daisy Ridley is set to return as Rey in a new ‘Star Wars’ movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. (more)

• Snoop Dogg is set to join NBC's primetime coverage of the Paris Olympics as a Special Correspondent. (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘Slow Horses’ is renewed for S5 at Apple TV+. (more)

Business 🤝

• AMC Theatres embarks on a debt reduction strategy with a stock swap initiative. (more)

• Disney garners support from activist investor ValueAct for its board nominees, while Blackwells Capital plans to nominate three directors, signaling intensified boardroom dynamics ahead of the company's annual shareholder meeting. (more)

• Altice USA sells its financial news streaming service Cheddar News to media company Archetype. (more)

• T-Mobile enhances its top-tier Go5G Next plan by including Hulu With Ads for free. (more)

• Charlie Ergen's Dish Network and EchoStar Corp have completed their all-stock merger, uniting his telecom empire under the EchoStar name. (more)

Other News 🚨

• The 2023 U.S. box office surpasses $9B in a year marked by the absence of mega-tentpoles and the impact of strikes. (more)

• Mickey Mouse enters the public domain with his ‘Steamboat Willie’ incarnation, but Disney's vigilant protection of its modern trademarked version ensures a tightly controlled use of the character. (more)

• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has classified Greta Gerwig's ‘Barbie’ as an adapted screenplay for the Oscars. (more)

• The Emmys reinstated the Outstanding Writing for a Variety series category to its televised ceremony on Jan. 15 after facing backlash and pressure from WGA. (more)

• Sundance Film Festival unveils 2024 jury members. (more)

• Universal overtakes Disney as highest-grossing studio at 2023 box office. (more)

• French cinema admissions rose 19% in 2023 with 'Super Mario Bros.' and 'Barbie' leading, yet figures still lag 13.1% behind pre-COVID levels. (more)

What to watch this weekend? 👀

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Night Swim: Blumhouse’s latest horror film.

📺 STREAMING

• Society of the Snow: (Netflix) The true story of a 1972 plane crash that left a surviving rugby team stranded in the Andes.

• Good Grief: (Netflix) Comedy-drama written and directed by Dan Levy in his directorial debut.

🏆 AWARDS SEASON

• The 81st Golden Globe Awards will air live on CBS this Sunday evening, Jan. 7th.