🎬 Buy or Sell Moment

👋 Good morning! Hollywood's creativity might be in a bit of a time loop. For the first time in box office history, every single one of 2024's top 10 highest-grossing films is a sequel. From Deadpool's R-rated reunion with Wolverine to Paul Atreides' second spice-filled adventure in ‘Dune: Part Two,’ what's old is new (and profitable) again.

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🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Europe’s Buy or Sell Moment

• ‘Wolfs 2’ Dead at Apple

• ‘Wicked’s’ Marketing Blitz

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

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

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
🎟️ Best pre-Thanksgiving frame in 11 years…

1. 🧙‍♀️ Wicked Part One: $114M domestic opening, $164.2M global debut. Highest-grossing domestic opening day ever for a musical adaptation. A CinemaScore and 90% RT.

2. ⚔️ Gladiator II: $55.5M domestic opening, $221M global total. Highest R-rated November opening ever. Solid B CinemaScore and strong male turnout (61%), with balanced age demos (49% 18-34, 48% 35+).

3. 🎅 Red One: $13.2M domestic weekend (-59%), $52.9M domestic total, $117.1M global. Steep drop for the $250M-budgeted holiday action film starring The Rock.

4. ✝️ Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.: $5.1M domestic opening from 1,900 theaters. A CinemaScore from faith-based audiences.

5. 🦸‍♂️ Venom: The Last Dance: $4M domestic weekend (-45%), $133.8M domestic total, $456M global. Sony's symbiote sequel still showing some bite in week 5.

6. 🎄 Best Christmas Pageant Ever: $3.5M domestic weekend (-33%), $25.5M domestic total. Decent hold for Lionsgate's holiday offering.

7. 😱 Heretic: $2.2M domestic weekend (-55%), $24.8M domestic total. A24's horror entry dropping fast in week 3.

8. 🤖 The Wild Robot: $2M domestic weekend (-53%), $140.7M domestic total. Universal's animated adaptation winding down after 9 weeks.

9. 😈 Smile 2: $1.11M domestic weekend (-62%), $67.7M domestic total. Horror sequel fading in week 6.

10. 🎭 A Real Pain: $1.109M domestic weekend (-50%), $4.9M domestic total. Searchlight's dramedy hanging on in week 4.

The Big Picture: Hollywood got its groove back this weekend with a spectacular $206.3M total haul—the best pre-Thanksgiving frame since 2013's ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ ($226.5M). The ‘Glicked’ combo of ‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II’ proved that counter-programming still works magic. With ‘Moana 2’ hitting theaters next week, the holiday box office season is looking merrier than Santa's workshop.

CLOSEUP
🇪🇺 European TV faces its own buy-or-sell moment…

As American media giants grapple with their own consolidation questions post-election, Europe's TV production landscape is already transforming. The first domino fell in May 2024, when former CNN chief Jeff Zucker's RedBird IMI paid $1.45B for British production powerhouse All3Media (maker of 'The Traitors'). Now, a wave of deals is building across Europe—or what legendary producer David Puttnam calls "no time for sissies."

The scramble is real:

• Mediawan, a French production powerhouse that owns Brad Pitt's Plan B and 84 other production companies, is reportedly shopping itself to buyers.

• Federation Studios, behind international spy thriller ‘The Bureau,’ has called in the Morgan Stanley cavalry to explore a sale.

• Fremantle, producer of ‘Got Talent’ and ‘Too Hot to Handle,’ is hunting for a "merger partner" after spending $270M on acquisitions.

• BBC Studios took a hit, with revenue tumbling to $2.4B.

• Even heavy hitters ITV Studios and Banijay have hit their expansion ceiling.

• Canal Plus is eyeing a splashy $8.4B London IPO.

So why's everyone scrambling now? Europe's once-mighty TV studios are facing a perfect storm. The end of streaming's "Golden Age" means less money flowing from commissioners. Ad markets are weak across the continent. And instead of creating the next 'Downton Abbey,' many production companies are reduced to filming American shows—or as BAFTA's Jane Millichip calls it, becoming "work for hire." The result? A wave of mergers, sales, and deals as companies try to adapt or cash out.

The American angle: Hollywood's already planted deep roots in Europe, especially the UK. Now, mid-sized U.S. companies are eyeing acquisitions, hungry for those sweet tax breaks and lower costs. But success isn't guaranteed—European production relies heavily on local relationships and cultural understanding that can't simply be bought and managed from across the Atlantic. As one veteran analyst warns: "It can't be an accountant in New York looking at this and saying, 'I'll buy it.'"

Looking ahead... This European consolidation could reshape Hollywood's own future. As production costs soar in the U.S., having established production operations abroad becomes increasingly valuable. While major studios seem unlikely buyers, mid-sized American producers might find acquiring European companies an attractive path to global expansion.

WIDESHOT
🎬 ‘Wolfs 2’ halted, and ‘Wicked’ marketing…

🎬🤝 'Wolfs 2' is dead at Apple despite the original becoming Apple TV+'s biggest hit. Director Jon Watts has walked away from the planned George Clooney-Brad Pitt sequel over a last-minute distribution switch that blindsided the filmmaker—Apple quietly scrapped plans for a wide theatrical release, instead giving 'Wolfs' just one week in limited theaters before rushing it to streaming. "I no longer trusted them as a creative partner," Watts said, revealing he returned his sequel payment and wasn't even consulted about the release change until days before it was announced. The fallout highlights Hollywood's growing theatrical tensions—Margot Robbie recently snubbed Netflix's $150M 'Wuthering Heights' offer for WB's $80M deal purely for theatrical guarantees, while Doug Liman publicly sparred with Amazon over 'Road House's' streaming-only fate. Now Netflix, reading the room, is eyeing IMAX runs for Greta Gerwig's 'Narnia'—less about box office billions than keeping A-list talent from walking out the door as streamers navigate the theatrical versus platform puzzle.

🎬🌟 ‘Wicked’ is making ‘Barbie’s’ record-breaking marketing campaign look tame. Unlike traditional campaigns that peak near release, ‘Wicked’s’ marketing campaign is testing if a year-long blitz across every touchpoint—from $8,800 jewelry to Target merch—can turn a movie into a lifestyle brand. The studio's unprecedented 400+ partnerships and $150M budget (plus $100M in free NBC network promos) dwarf even ‘Barbie's’ massive campaign. One innovative move is treating 'Wicked' like a luxury fashion brand by deliberately holding back product categories for Part Two in 2025—think Gucci's seasonal drops, but for a movie franchise. While some fans are devouring every collaboration, others are posting "ENOUGH" memes about marketing fatigue. Still, the million-dollar question remains: Will this "be everywhere, all the time" approach mixing high-end and mass market appeal, become the new template for how studios turn movies into cultural phenomena?

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LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• Idris Elba is in early talks to play Man-at-Arms in Amazon and Mattel’s live-action ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie. (more)

• William H. Macy joins Thomas Jane and Armie Hammer in ‘Frontier Crucible,’ a Western currently filming in Arizona. (more)

• Lionsgate delays Guy Ritchie’s action thriller ‘In the Grey,’ starring Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal. (more)

• ABC is developing ‘Vital Signs,’ a high-concept medical drama from Brian Tanen about a fan transported into her favorite TV show. (more)

• Warner Bros is developing the comedy ‘Blow Up the Chat,’ directed by Jeff Schaffer. (more)

• Wayfarer Studios sets a nationwide release for ‘The Senior,’ starring Michael Chiklis. (more)

• Spenser Granese joins the cast of Josh Safdie’s A24 film ‘Marty Supreme.’ (more)

• Connie Britton will host and executive produce ‘The Motherhood,’ a Hallmark+ unscripted series premiering in 2025. (more)

• Zachary Quinto, Patti LuPone, Hank Azaria, and Clark Gregg join ‘The Artist,’ a limited series premiering March 2025 on The Network. (more)

• Jason Kelce will host ‘They Call It Late Night,’ a postseason late-night show airing Fridays on ESPN starting Jan. 3, featuring NFL legends, celebrities, and live music. (more)

Renewed & Canceled ✅ ❌

• ‘The Day of the Jackal’ is renewed for S2 by Peacock and Sky. (more)

• Apple TV+ renews Jon Hamm’s upcoming drama ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ for S2. (more)

Business 🤝

• Laine Kline, Head of International Production at Amazon MGM Studios, is stepping down at the end of the year. (more)

Other News 🚨

• PBS and WGA writers reached an agreement ahead of the strike deadline, averting a walkout. (more)

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest trends & viral moments