🎬 Early Oscar Buzz 🐝

👋 Good morning! How do you make a seven-hour TV series eligible for Academy Awards? Alfonso Cuarón is "studying the possibility" of creating an Oscar-qualifying version of his acclaimed Apple TV+ drama ‘Disclaimer.’ While he admits he's "thought about and considered" the idea, Cuarón doesn't have a concrete answer yet. One possibility floated by Deadline: a two-part theatrical release, with both parts sold together. Whatever the outcome, Cuarón's efforts could blur the lines between film and TV in our streaming-dominated era.

We hope you had a relaxing Labor Day weekend! Due to the holiday, we're coming to you on Tuesday this week. You'll find us in your inbox again on Friday as we get back to our regular schedule.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Fall Festival Updates

• Sony’s Web3 Push

• Disney Goes Dark on DirecTV

• 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 🎟️

1. 🦸‍♂️ Deadpool & Wolverine: $15.2M domestic 3-day ($19.5M 4-day), $603.8M domestic total, $1.25B global. Crosses $600M domestic milestone in its 6th weekend.

2. 👽 Alien: Romulus: $9.3M domestic 3-day ($11.5M 4-day), $91M domestic total, $283.5M global. Continues strong performance, especially in China.

3. ❤️ It Ends With Us: $7.4M domestic 3-day ($9.5M 4-day), $135.8M domestic total, $283.7M global. Highest-grossing non-sequel of the year.

4. 🇺🇸 Reagan: $7.4M domestic 3-day ($9M 4-day). Biopic debuts at #4 despite mixed reception.

5. 🌪️ Twisters: $7.2M domestic 3-day ($8.7M 4-day), $259.6M domestic total, $351M global.

6. 👀 Blink Twice: $4.7M domestic 3-day, $15.3M domestic total, $22M global.

7. 🙏 The Forge: $4.6M domestic 3-day, $16M domestic total.

8. 🟡 Despicable Me 4: $4.1M domestic 3-day, $354.1M domestic total, $914M global.

9. 😱 AfrAId: $3.7M domestic 3-day ($4.4M 4-day). Horror film debuts with disappointing numbers.

10. 💭 Inside Out 2: $2.7M domestic 3-day ($4M 4-day), $650.1M domestic total, $1.66B global. Now 9th highest-grossing film globally.

The Big Picture: Labor Day weekend wrapped up summer at the movies with a so-so $80.8M for the 3-day stretch, about 9.5% less than last year. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ kept crushing it in its 6th weekend. The biopic ‘Reagan’ had a so-so debut, while ‘AfrAId’ kinda flopped. Overall, the weekend reflected a cautious approach from studios ahead of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ next week, but hey, not bad considering the slim pickings for new flicks.

Summer 2024 Recap: So, we ended up 14.3% behind last summer, but that's way better than how things were looking earlier this year. Disney basically owned the season, raking in 42% of all the cash with hits left and right. Universal and Sony also had some wins to brag about. Oh, and China started showing Hollywood some love again, which is pretty big. We're not quite back to pre-COVID levels, but this summer proved people still dig going to the movies when the right stuff's playing. Now everyone's hyped to see what fall brings to the table.

📽️ Fall Festival Updates 🍿

🇮🇹 Venice Film Festival

As the 81st Venice Film Festival reaches its midway point, the Lido is buzzing with excitement over high-profile premieres and potential awards contenders. Here are just a few to note:

Already Premiered:

• ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’— 🍅 RT: 78% Fresh. Received a 4-minute-plus standing ovation at its world premiere, which opened the festival.

• ‘Maria’— 🍅 RT: 71% Fresh. Acquired by Netflix early in the festival.

• ‘Babygirl’— 🍅 RT: 92% Fresh.

• ‘The Order’— 🍅 RT: 78% Fresh. Received a nearly 10-minute ovation.

• ‘The Brutalist’— 🍅 RT: 95% Fresh. Brady Corbet's ambitious 3.5-hour epic wowed audiences, with Adrien Brody's performance generating early Oscar buzz.

• ‘Wolfs’— 🍅 RT: 69% Fresh. Clooney and Pitt's reunion in Jon Watts' film was a crowd-pleaser.

• ‘The Room Next Door’—Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton received a whopping 17-minute standing ovation, the longest of the festival thus far. Almodóvar used the platform to make impassioned pleas about climate change and immigration.

Major Premieres Still to Come:

• 'Queer’ (Premieres today), already acquired by A24.

• ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ (Sept. 4)

• ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2’ (Sept. 7)

🌄 Telluride Film Festival

Meanwhile, the 50th annual Telluride Film Festival (Aug. 31—Sept. 4) has also been making waves in the awards race. Notable highlights include:

• 'The End'—Joshua Oppenheimer's unique end-of-world musical starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon.

• 'Saturday Night'—Jason Reitman's acclaimed film about SNL's first episode, with Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels. Despite mixed critical reception, it's generating significant Oscar buzz.

• 'Conclave'—Edward Berger's papal thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, praised for its craftsmanship and performances. Fiennes and Stanley Tucci are being discussed as potential Oscar contenders.

• 'Better Man'—Michael Gracey's innovative musical biopic about Robbie Williams.

• 'The Piano Lesson'—Malcolm Washington's adaptation of August Wilson's play, with Danielle Deadwyler emerging as an early favorite for Best Supporting Actress.

🇨🇦 Toronto International Film Festival

As Telluride wraps up, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicks off on Thursday. TIFF, known for its influential People's Choice Award and as a major launchpad for awards season contenders, will open with David Gordon Green's ‘Nutcrackers’ starring Ben Stiller. The festival promises to continue the momentum, showcasing a mix of high-profile premieres and potential awards contenders over its 11-day run.

🌐💼 Sony's jumping into the Web3 pool, and it's bringing its film and music divisions along for the swim. Web3, essentially a decentralized version of the internet built on blockchain technology, aims to shift online power dynamics. Sony's creating its own blockchain called Soneium, which is like a special platform for building new online tools and services. They're also starting a program called "Soneium Spark" to help develop cool ideas using this tech. The goal is to make Web3 as ubiquitous as streaming platforms. Sony Pictures and Sony Music's involvement suggests potential new avenues for content creation and distribution. While some folks (like Elon Musk) have dismissed Web3 as overhyped, Sony's investment suggests it sees real potential. This move could pressure other studios and networks to explore blockchain applications, potentially reshaping industry standards for content rights, distribution, and fan interactions. It's early days, but Sony's move signals Web3 might be the next big scene in showbiz.

📺🏴 Disney's networks have gone dark on DirecTV, kicking off another high-stakes carriage dispute—essentially, a fight over how much DirecTV should pay Disney to show its channels. The blackout affects major channels like ABC and ESPN, leaving 11M subscribers in the lurch just as college football season heats up. DirecTV argues Disney's demanding too much, while Disney insists its powerhouse channels are worth every penny. This face-off echoes last year's 10-day Spectrum blackout, highlighting the TV industry's struggle to adapt as viewers shift away from traditional bundles. With the U.S. Open ongoing and Monday Night Football on deck, the pressure's mounting to reach a deal.

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Development 🗒️

• Charli XCX joins Gregg Araki’s provocative thriller ‘I Want Your Sex’, starring alongside Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman. (more)

• A ‘One Tree Hill’ sequel series is in development at Netflix, with Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton set to return. (more)

• Liam Neeson and a young ensemble cast are in talks for the heist comedy ‘4 Kids Walk Into a Bank,’ with FilmNation launching sales at TIFF. (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ is canceled after S1 at Netflix. (more)

Business 🤝

• Apple partners with India’s Bharti Airtel to offer free Apple TV+ and Apple Music services to Airtel’s premium customers, expanding its reach in the competitive Indian market. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Teamsters-represented casting professionals paused contract negotiations without a deal, planning additional talks before the current contract expires on Sept. 30. (more)

• Netflix continues its foray into live streaming with Joey Chestnut defeating Takeru Kobayashi in the ‘Unfinished Beef’ hot dog-eating contest. (more)

• Need to memorize your lines faster? Top actors swear by this science-backed technique! (more)