🎬 Gucci, Saint Laurent and… CAA?

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Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or a new arrival, we're thrilled to have you here. Twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, we'll deliver the most important industry scoops directly to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Closeup: Gucci, Saint Laurent, and… CAA?

• Drescher’s SAG Win

• WB Pauses Overalls Deals

• WGA Pushes Studios to Break from AMPTP

• Disney vs. Charter Saga Continues

• Drew Barrymore Scabbing Accusations

• 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!

LAST WEEKEND’S
🎟️ BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN 🎟️

The Nun II This horror sequel from Warner Bros. grabbed the top spot with a $32.6M opening, although it's down -39% from the 2018 original. Globally, it made $85.3M on its debut, with strong performances especially in Mexico and Indonesia. 📉👻

The Equalizer 3 Sony's action-packed sequel had a strong Labor Day opening, but this weekend saw a -65% drop to $12.1M, settling in second place. With a 10-day total of $61.9M, it's trailing its predecessors just slightly. 🥈🔫

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 This comedy sequel danced its way to third place with $10M, which is less than its 2016 counterpart. The audience was mostly female and quite diverse. 💍🕺🏻

Jawan Yash Raj Films surprised many by scoring a fourth place finish with $6.1M. Coupled with its debut, this action thriller has earned $7.5M so far. 🎉🔥

Barbie Now in its eighth week, Barbie faced a -42% dip to $5.9M, making it fifth. It's made a whopping $620.4M domestically and stands as the #12 biggest movie of all time in the US. Internationally, with $1.40B, it's the #15 film ever. A serious player in the box office game! 🎀🌍

Gucci, Saint Laurent, and… CAA?
💰How CAA's Big Move Changes Everything 🎥

Hollywood’s massive talent agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), has been acquired by Artémis, the investment company of the super-rich Pinault family (yes, that French billionaire family known for snapping up luxury brands 🇫🇷). This move comes after CAA joined forces with ICM in 2022. Now, they'll be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Gucci and Saint Laurent in the Pinaults’ swanky $40 billion portfolio. 🛍️🌟

Who's Behind Artémis? It's none other than François-Henri Pinault, who not only controls this investment firm but is also the CEO of fashion powerhouse Kering. Oh, and did we mention he's Salma Hayek's hubby? There have been some cheeky comments about Hayek probably being set for roles for life. Imagine the projects she might land!

Big Money Moves: Back in the day (2014 to be exact), TPG bought a majority of CAA, valuing the agency at about $1.1 billion. Now, they've made an exit, and rumors are that they were eyeing a cool $7 billion price tag. 🤑 Artémis isn't just taking over TPG's part. They're joining the CAA family with other investors like Temasek and CMC Capital. Plus, CAA is staying private (sorry, stock enthusiasts).

Why It's a Big Deal: This isn't just any acquisition. It's the largest since 2013, when WME paid $2.4 billion for IMG. There’s been a close bond between fashion and Hollywood for years, with movie stars often becoming the faces of high-end brands. This is another giant step toward vertical integration of the luxury goods industry and will give Kering a massive presence in the entertainment industry. CAA's leaders are stoked, and Pinault is super optimistic about what they can achieve together.

While many are buzzing about the new opportunities, others are hoping that CAA stays true to its roots. One veteran writer-director commented, "Let's just hope they keep doing what they do best, repping talent."

As CAA joins the luxurious ranks of the Pinault empire, Hollywood awaits its next act with bated breath, hoping the core essence of talent representation remains unchanged in this blockbuster deal.

Fran Drescher's SAG-AFTRA Win 🎬🗳️ Fran Drescher has been re-elected as the SAG-AFTRA president, securing 23,080 votes. 🎉 This election, surrounded by a historic strike, saw Drescher vocally battling major disparities in Hollywood payscales. Remember her fiery speeches? 🔥 Well, she's promised an even better era for the union ahead. Surprisingly, rival factions in the union united behind our beloved 'Nanny' star, aiming for better contract terms and work conditions. But Drescher’s new term isn’t off to an easy start - with tense negotiations and a potential video games strike waiting in the wings. 🎥🍿🎮

Warner Bros. Halts Producer Payments Amid WGA Strike 🎥✍ Warner Bros. just pressed pause on payments to big-shot producers like J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Mindy Kaling and others due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. Instead of fully canceling these deals, they've halted payments for the strike's duration. This could put pressure on stalled talks between the WGA and the big studio groups, especially since other major studios are likely to follow Warner's lead. Meanwhile, studio execs are itching for progress and hope this move might shake things up. But, as always, the Hollywood plot thickens! 🍿🎬

WGA Encourages Studios to Break From AMPTP Amid Stalemate 🪧 The WGA is nudging big studio companies within the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to step away and make individual deals with them. Why? They believe some studio execs genuinely want to hash things out and tackle writers' concerns. 😌 The AMPTP responded with a firm, "We're on the same page," and stressed they're collectively pushing for a solution. Meanwhile, over 11,500 WGA members have been striking for about 133 days, leading to significant job losses in the entertainment industry. Tough times, but here's hoping they find common ground soon! 🤞✨

Charter and Disney Carriage Drama Continues 📺🤝 Charter's CEO, Chris Winfrey, isn't too optimistic about the ongoing carriage negotiations with Disney. Just a week in, and no deal's on the horizon. In a recent chat at the Goldman Sachs conference, he hinted that Charter might roll with a leaner TV bundle that doesn't include ESPN. Why? Winfrey believes the traditional TV landscape is evolving, with streaming on the rise and old-school cable potentially becoming a liability. 🔄 He even mentioned that if Charter moved on without Disney, they'd likely attract a smaller but more loyal customer base. And while Disney's prepping its own ESPN streaming service, Winfrey thinks that, as a broadband provider, Charter can still deliver the sports goods. 🏈🎾 Stay tuned! It seems the ball's in Disney's court. 🏀🐭

Drew Stands Strong Amid Strike Buzz 🎤🎬 Drew Barrymore is making waves with her decision to keep "The Drew Barrymore Show" rolling despite ongoing writers and actors strikes. While she's saying, "I got this" and promising to stick to the rules, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) ain't too pleased—they're even planning a picket party outside her studios! 😲 In an emotional Instagram post, Drew opened up about her commitment to the show, emphasizing that it's "bigger than just me" and highlighting her dedication to supporting writers during these rocky times. Set your reminders: Season 4 premieres on Sept. 18. But expect some drama off-screen with the WGA in the mix. 📺📢🎉

Venice Film Festival 🏆

• Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things wins Best Film @ Venice.

• Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist wins Grand Jury Prize @ Venice.

• See full list of winners here 👈

Development 🗒️

• ‘The Strangers’ reboot trilogy is coming in 2024 from Lionsgate. (more)

• Kate Mara joins the cast of sci-fi thriller ‘The Astronaut.’ (more)

• Lionsgate closes a deal for domestic rights to ‘The Crow’ reboot with Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs. (more)

• Quentin Tarantino’s final film obtains big tax credits from CA as he prepares to film in Los Angeles. (more)

Releases 📅

• So far, five theatrical release dates have been moved to avoid battling Taylor Swift’s concert film at the box office. (more)

• ‘Priscilla’ moves its release from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 following reception at the Venice Film Festival. (more)

• ‘Goosebumps’ gets premiere date on Disney+ and Hulu. (more)

Buzz 🗣️

• Disney unveils 2024 dates for D23 fan expo. (more)

• Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard attend Venice and Toronto red carpets after ‘Memory’ receives an interim agreement. (more)

• Striking WGA writers have caused a stir by picketing and passing out flyers at the entrance of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. (more)

  Business🤝

• Disney and Comcast are butting heads over Hulu's valuation, with Comcast considering selling its stake in the streaming company to Disney in 2024. (more)

  First Looks 👀

• New official poster for ‘The Creator’ is unveiled. (see it 👉here👈)

• First official poster for Todd Haynes’ ‘May December’ is unveiled. (see it 👉here👈)

Other News 🚨

• Danny Masterson, known for starring in ‘That 70’s Show’ is sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being convicted for rape. (more)

• Ryan Murphy launches a $500k fund to support casts and crews on his shows during strikes. (more)

• WGA and SAG-AFTRA will rally for a CA bill that would grant unemployment insurance to strikers. (more)

• 30,000 sign petition urging UK government to finance out-of-work- creatives amid strikes. (more)

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