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👋 Good morning! Pre-sales for ‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith's’ 20th anniversary re-release have been so strong that the film will hit 2,775 theaters this weekend—setting the record for widest re-release in US history. The once-maligned finale to the prequel trilogy is now hailed as one of the franchise's best, proving that sometimes you just need to wait two decades for people to appreciate your work (someone tell Coppola to hang tight).

Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood. First timer? Sign up here. 👈👀

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Disney Builds a Reality Empire

• Jon Voight’s Hollywood Rescue Plan

• Korea’s $1B Animation Bet

• Why Season 2 is the New Season 1

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Martini Shot 🍸

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

TOP STREAMED
📊 What U.S. audiences were watching this week…

CLOSEUP
📱 Disney’s building a reality TV empire…

Rob Mills, Disney’s unscripted boss, is leading the charge as Disney dives headfirst into the reality TV mud pit. The studio is quietly assembling its own unscripted universe on Hulu and beyond—aiming to rival Bravo's once-mighty ‘Housewives’ dynasty. And they’re doing it with a checkbook instead of a casting call.

The strategy: Why build new talent from scratch when you can just buy stars who already have followers? Disney's shopping spree includes influencers, podcast celebs, and social media phenoms who bring their audiences along for the ride.

Some developments:

• ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,’ born from a viral TikTok dance trend, became Hulu's most-watched unscripted premiere of 2024

• Alex Cooper, host of Spotify's #2 podcast ‘Call Her Daddy,’ is creating ‘Overboard for Love,’ a yacht-based dating show

• The slate includes shows featuring social media stars like the D'Amelios (225M+ TikTok followers) and Brooks Nader (1.6M+ Instagram)

Why now? A recent Deloitte survey found 56% of Gen Z feels a stronger personal connection to their favorite creators than actors. By nabbing these creators, Disney's found a shortcut to the elusive young viewers advertisers crave.

Hulu is leaning into what Alex Cooper calls “controversial” and “salacious” reality content. The platform’s long been the edgier sibling in a Disney lineup that’s still about as edgy as a bowling ball—which makes this pivot a clear sign that even Disney is willing to bend its brand to chase younger viewers.

The bigger picture: Disney isn't the only corporate giant going dumpster diving in the creator economy. Netflix just announced plans to bring YouTube podcasts to their platform last week. Traditional media companies that once sneered at influencer content are now treating social platforms like talent farms. In today's fractured media landscape, audiences follow personalities, not networks—and Disney is buying those audiences in bulk.

WIDESHOT
🎬 Ambassadors, Korean animation, and second seasons…

🇺🇸 Are Hollywood's ambassadors finally making moves? Jon Voight is reportedly preparing to unveil a Hollywood action plan to President Trump next week. The Oscar winner's upcoming presentation follows a notably quiet period since January, when the president named Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as "special Hollywood ambassadors" tasked with bringing the industry "back—bigger, better, and stronger than ever before." While details remain under wraps, insiders expect Voight to address America's film production exodus to countries with generous tax incentives, a concern Trump highlighted when claiming Hollywood "lost much business to Foreign Countries." Voight's business partner previously hinted at an "America first" initiative that could include federal tax incentives. As productions continue flowing to Britain, Canada, and Australia, the industry is watching closely to see if this marks the beginning of meaningful federal intervention to bring filmmaking back to American soil.

🇰🇷 Korea's on an animation roll, and they're going all in. Earlier this month, the Korean-produced The King of Kings (directed by Jang Seong-ho and starring Oscar Isaac and Pierce Brosnan) opened at #2 in the US box office and has grossed $52.5M worldwide. Now, South Korea is doubling down. The country's Ministry of Culture just announced a $1B investment in its animation sector over the next five years, pivoting from being Hollywood's go-to outsourcing hub to creating and owning blockbuster IP themselves. While most entertainment sectors barely grew at 2.1% last year, Korean animation surged 23%. The ambitious plan includes incentives for international co-productions, national pavilions at major animation markets, and AI-powered production tools. Netflix is also getting in on the action, set to release ‘Lost in Starlight’ on May 30—its first Korean animated feature film. Disney and Pixar might want to check their rearview mirrors.

📈 Season 2 is the new Season 1, and Hollywood is taking notes. A clear pattern is emerging: lately, shows are getting bigger in their second season, defying the dreaded "sophomore slump." New data from Samba TV just dropped confirming that 'The Last of Us' S2 debuted to 5.3M viewers across Max and HBO, up 13% from its series premiere. It also claimed the #1 spot on the streaming charts that week. Meanwhile, '1923' recently closed its second season with a 46% average viewership increase over S1. Even 'Severance,' returning after a nearly three-year hiatus, made Nielsen's top streaming list only in its second season. This upends the old TV playbook—where shows typically peaked early then bled viewers season after season. The takeaway? The TV industry might finally be breaking free from its "hook 'em fast or die" mindset, as viewers are clearly willing to commit for the long haul.

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LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Apple wins holiday movie bidding war for ‘Foster the Snowman,’ paying $1.6M for a magical snowman family film. (more)

• Charles Melton will star in ‘Her Private Hell,’ an edgy new thriller from ‘Drive’ director Nicolas Winding Refn, set to shoot this summer with Neon. (more)

• Sydney Sweeney will star in a film adaptation of hit video game ‘Split Fiction,’ directed by Jon M. Chu. (more)

• Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton will star in Olivia Wilde’s dark comedy ‘The Invite.’ (more)

• Sony Pictures Classics will release ‘Oh, Hi!,’ a romantic comedy starring Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon, following its Tribeca premiere. (more)

• Universal has acquired ‘Fight,’ a high-octane action spec from Nathaniel Halpern, with David Leitch set to direct for 87North. (more)

• Magnolia Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to ‘Plainclothes,’ a Sundance-winning thriller. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Ella Rubin and Amélie Elisabeth Hoeferle will lead ‘Sterling Point,’ a YA drama from Megan Park for Amazon MGM. (more)

• Bill Hader is developing a Jonestown cult drama for HBO, co-writing and potentially directing and starring as Jim Jones. (more)

• NBC is developing a ‘Royal Pains’ reboot with Mark Feuerstein returning to star as Hank Lawson and executive produce. (more)

• Jon Hamm will star in and executive produce ‘American Hostage,’ an MGM+ anthology series based on the true-crime podcast of the same name. (more)

• Blumhouse Television has acquired Marisha Pessl’s thriller ‘Darkly’ for a series adaptation, with Jamie Lee Curtis set to executive produce. (more)

Greenlights, Renewals & Cancellations ✅ ❌

• Apple TV+ has ordered a prequel series based on Philip Kerr’s ‘Berlin Noir’ novels. (more)

• ‘Sweet Magnolias’ is renewed for S5 by Netflix. (more)

• Netflix greenlights series adaptations of ‘The Age of Innocence’ and ‘Unaccustomed Earth.’ (more)

Business 🤝

• Lionsgate shareholders have approved the long-anticipated split from Starz, paving the way for both companies to operate independently. (more)

• Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions has laid off much of its development team. (more)

• Netflix stock hit an all-time high of $1,101 per share, nearly doubling year over year. (more)

• Snoop Dogg and his Death Row Pictures have signed a multi-year deal with NBCUniversal to develop film, TV, and streaming projects. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Cannes has added 16 new titles to its 2025 lineup, including Lynne Ramsay’s ‘Die, My Love,’ Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut ‘The Chronology of Water,’ and Ethan Coen’s comedy ‘Honey Don’t!.’ (more)

RELEASE RADAR
📅 What to watch this weekend?

🎥 THEATRICAL

• The Accountant 2: Action thriller sequel starring Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, directed by Gavin O'Connor.

• Until Dawn: Time-loop horror thriller adapted from the popular video game.

• The Legend of Ochi: Isaiah Saxon’s fantasy adventure film expands wide.

• On Swift Horses: 1950s romantic drama starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi.

• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith: 20th anniversary re-release of the third chapter in the ‘Star Wars’ saga.

📺 STREAMING

• Star Wars: Andor: (Disney+) ‘Star Wars’ spy thriller starring Diego Luna and covering the four years leading to ‘Rogue One.’

• Havoc: (Netflix) Gritty action thriller starring Tom Hardy as a detective fighting through the criminal underworld, directed by Gareth Evans.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

The box office should maintain its recent momentum this weekend with ‘Sinners’ likely holding the top spot with $27M-$35M in its sophomore frame. Amazon/MGM's ‘The Accountant 2’ aims for a solid $22M-$28M debut. Meanwhile, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ should continue its blockbuster run with $20M-$25M in third place, though Lucasfilm's 20th anniversary re-release of Revenge of the Sith could surprise with $18M-$23M.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest trends & viral moments