🎬 They're Suing

👋 Good morning! Today’s a day of hearts, chocolates, and perhaps drafting love sonnets à la Josh Brolin to his Dune co-stars. Whether you’re wrapped up in the arms of romance or cozied up with a marathon of your favorite rom-coms, we’re not judging.

Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood - no need to chase down a newsstand, we’ve got everything you need right here.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Amazon Subscribers Sue

• Stewart’s Stellar Comeback

• Movie Theater Magic on the Brink

• The Piracy Paradox

• 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!

📺⚖️ Amazon Subscribers Sue Over Surprise Ads: Amazon Prime Video's leap into ad-supported waters has led to a splashy class action lawsuit. Prime members, initially promised a commercial-free oasis, now find themselves navigating ad breaks or shelling out an extra $2.99 monthly for the tranquility of an ad-free stream. This sudden shift has prompted a lawsuit in California, accusing Amazon of a bait-and-switch that's left over 100M subscribers facing ads by default. The legal challenge, seeking at least $5M and a halt to Amazon's alleged ad-infested course, claims breach of contract among other consumer protection violations.

📺📈 Stewart’s Stellar Comeback: Jon Stewart’s grand re-entrance to ‘The Daily Show’ as a part-time host for the 2024 election cycle not only marked a homecoming, but also a ratings bonanza for Comedy Central. Stewart’s Monday night takeover brought a multi-year high of 930,000 viewers on its first night, reaching a total of 1.85M with simulcasts on other Paramount-owned channels. On Monday, Stewart candidly addressed the elephant in the room, explaining that he left Apple TV+ late last year because the tech giant “didn’t want [him] to say anything that might get [him] in trouble,” particularly when it came to topics like A.I. and China. With Stewart at the helm on Mondays, ‘The Daily Show’ promises to be the go-to spot for sharp, insightful commentary during this pivotal election season.

🍿📉 Movie Theater Magic on the Brink: America is facing a burgeoning crisis of “moviegoing deserts” sprouting up nationwide. While new theaters dot the landscape in select urban corners, vast swathes of the country are mourning the loss of local movie theaters, leaving a cultural and communal void in their wake. With total U.S./Canada movie ticket spending per capita at a mere $24 last year, the economic viability of cinemas in many areas is dimming faster than the credits on a screen. Despite the valiant efforts of independents and smaller chains, the cinematic landscape is mirroring the decline of malls and the rise of streaming services. While theaters once stood as pillars of community life, their gradual disappearance signals not just a change in how we consume entertainment, but a deeper loss of communal spaces that once stitched the fabric of American society together.

🎬🏴‍☠️ The Piracy Paradox: A new data drop from Muso reveals some interesting insights into film piracy. Box office titans like ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ are the most coveted treasures among digital pirates. Despite efforts to curb film theft, these big-ticket movies ironically seem to send out a bat-signal to pirates due to their lengthy wait for official at-home releases. Meanwhile, films like ‘Puss in Boots,’ which had a quick, 16-day, blink-and-you-miss-it theater stint, made it too easy for pirates—high-quality versions of the film were quickly available for piracy just as everyone starting talking about how great it was. On the flipside, ‘Barbie’ blended a short, 53-day theatrical window with a quick jump to streaming, proving that timing can help outsmart theft. The whole situation is made trickier by the streaming world’s chaos, with so many exclusive shows and movies scattered across various services. When viewers are left navigating a labyrinth of subscriptions, piracy becomes the path of least resistance. Navigating the fine line between accessibility and exclusivity seems to be key in keeping audiences on the right side of the screen.

Development 🗒️

• Sony Pictures casts 'American Born Chinese' star Ben Wang as the new 'Karate Kid.’ (more)

• Adam Sandler sets new comedy special directed by Josh Safdie. (more)

• Woody Allen's 50th film, ‘Coup de Chance,’ a French-language thriller, is set for a U.S. release by MPI Media Group on April 5. (more)

• Katy Perry is leaving ‘American Idol’ after 7 seasons. (more)

• ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ documentary from Ken Burns will premiere on PBS in November. (more)

• Elizabeth Olsen and Charles Melton are set to star in Todd Solondz's dark comedy 'Love Child.' (more)

• Ewan McGregor is set to star alongside Anne Hathaway in David Robert Mitchell's untitled 1980s family adventure film. (more)

• Stephen Amell is set to lead 'Suits: LA,' being developed by NBC and creator Aaron Korsh. (more)

• Dylan Gelula joins the cast of ‘Smile.’ (more)

• Travis Knight is in talks to direct the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie. (more)

• ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ S6 will begin production this summer for premiere in 2025. (more)

• Stephen Dorff, John Rhys-Davies, and Beau Bridges have been cast in the true crime feature 'Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree.' (more)

• Warner Bros. closes first-look feature film deal with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap after ‘Barbie’ Oscar nominations. (more)

• Teresa Celeste joins the cast of Kevin Hart’s ‘Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.’ (more)

• Vertical acquires the rights to thriller ‘Firecracker’ ahead of the Berlin Film Festival. (more)

• Amazon MGM Studios secures 'Burn Night,' a thrilling project from Safehouse Pictures. (more)

• Hulu's teen comedy 'Prom Dates' sets spring release, starring Chelsea Handler, John Michael Higgins. (more)

• Rose Byrne is set to star in 'Tow,' a film about Amanda Ogle's fight against tow-company extortion. (more)

• Harvey Keitel, Rita Moreno, Roselyn Sanchez, and Udo Kier join the cast of the indie horror thriller 'Theirs.' (more)

• Lilly Wachowski returns to directing with ‘Trash Mountain,’ produced by Colin Trevorrow’s Metronome Film Co. (more)

• FX commissions a pilot for 'The Sensitive Kind,' a noir drama created by Sterlin Harjo and starring Ethan Hawke. (more)

• Netflix gears up for a unique interactive 'Netflix Experience' event for advertisers at New York's Pier 59 Studios. (more)

✅ Renewed & Cancelled ❌

• ‘Survival of the Thickest’ renewed for S2 at Netflix. (more)

• ‘Invasion’ is renewed for S3 at Apple TV+. (more)

Business 🤝

• Tyler Perry inks a first-look TV deal with Netflix, launching with the drama series 'Beauty In Black.' (more)

• Paramount Global announces layoffs of up to 800 staff in a significant cost-reduction move. (more)

• Netflix announces its first in-person upfront event in New York, signaling confidence in its growing ad business. (more)

• Anaïs Baker is promoted to the head of global formats at Amazon MGM Studios. (more)

Other News 🚨

• The Super Bowl had the biggest audience in history with 123.7M viewers. (more)

• The ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ trailer sets a new record with 365 million views in 24 hours. (more)

• DreamWorks and Flying Bark Productions' production workers join The Animation Guild. (more)

• Travis Kelce's film producing debut, ‘My Dead Friend Zoe,’ is the first to be financed through Joe Biden's green energy tax credits. (more)

• Disney leverages its strong earnings to encourage shareholders to vote for its board nominees. (more)

• The first 2024 Oscars teaser has been released. (See it here)