🎬 Eli-oh, wow

Presented by

👋 Good morning! Before 1975, summer was a box office dead zone. Studios expected low ticket sales, and dumped their duds while audiences hit the beach. But that all changed forever fifty years ago when Steven Spielberg's ‘Jaws’ hit theaters on June 20, 1975. The shark thriller became the first $100M blockbuster, invented summer tentpole season as we know it, and created the “creature feature” template that every monster movie since has basically copied.

Welcome to The Dailies. A new week is upon us—grab your coffee and we’ll get you caught up on the latest in Hollywood. Oh, and a reminder for all you Emmy voters—don't forget to hit submit by 10pm tonight or forever hold your peace (nominations drop July 15).

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
🎟️ Eli…oh, wow that’s low for Pixar…

1. 🐉 How to Train Your Dragon: (Wk 2) $37M domestic weekend (-56%), $160.5M domestic total, $358.2M global. Universal's live-action remake stays strong despite a steeper second-frame drop than its animated predecessors.

2. 🧟‍♂️ 28 Years Later: 🆕 $30M domestic opening, $60M global debut. Danny Boyle's zombie legacyquel delivered his career-best opening, though harsh audience exits (B CinemaScore, 65% RT audience) suggest possible trouble ahead.

3. 👽 Elio: 🆕 $21M domestic opening, $35M global debut. Disney/Pixar's space adventure received solid audience scores (A CinemaScore, A+ from under-25s), but became the studio’s worst opening ever. More on that below.

4. 🏝️ Lilo & Stitch: (Wk 5) $9.7M domestic weekend (-38%), $386.7M domestic total, $910M global.

5. 🕴️ Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: (Wk 5) $6.6M domestic weekend (-33%), $178.4M domestic total, $540M global.

6. 💎 Materialists: (Wk 2) $5.8M domestic weekend (-49%), $23.9M domestic total.

7. 🩰 Ballerina: (Wk 3) $4.5M domestic weekend (-54%), $51.1M domestic total, $95M global.

8. 🥋 Karate Kid: Legends: (Wk 4) $2.4M domestic weekend (-54%), $49.4M domestic total, $85M global.

9. 🎯 Final Destination: Bloodlines: (Wk 6) $1.9M domestic weekend (-53%), $134.8M domestic total, $280M global.

10. 🎭 Kuberaa: 🆕 $1.7M domestic opening. The Telugu political thriller found its niche audience across key markets including Austin, San Francisco, and NYC.

The big picture: This weekend delivered a $126.3M domestic total, down 17% from last year's powerhouse frame anchored by ‘Inside Out 2's’ record-breaking second weekend ($101.2M). With multiple family movies (‘Dragon,’ ‘Elio,’ ‘Lilo & Stitch’) all competing for the same parents' wallets, everyone's feeling the squeeze.

CLOSEUP
📉 Pixar’s having a rough time at the box office…

Pixar’s ‘Elio’ opened to just $21M domestically this weekend—their worst debut ever. Not bad for most animation studios, but not great for the studio once synonymous with box office dominance. It’s lower than ‘The Good Dinosaur’ ($39M), ‘Onward’ ($39M), and ‘Lightyear’ ($51M).

The soft opening against a $150M budget spotlights an ongoing contradiction: audiences say they want original stories, but when it comes to buying tickets, audiences keep choosing the familiar stuff. Some numbers:

• Pixar sequels are money machines: ‘Inside Out 2’ ($1.7B), ‘Incredibles 2’ ($1.24B), ‘Toy Story 4’ ($1.07B)

• Originals struggle—since ‘Coco’ (2017) no Pixar original has grossed $500M worldwide

• Even ‘Elemental's’ eventual $496M "success" came after a rough $30M start and needed sustained marketing spend and strong word of mouth

• It’s not just Pixar—Universal's franchise ‘Super Mario Bros.’ ($1B+) crushed their original ‘Migration’ ($300M)

It's the animation industry's central catch-22: Despite originals consistently underperforming, studios still need new franchises to keep pipelines fresh. Luckily for Pixar, Disney's diversified revenue streams (merchandise, theme parks, streaming) provide breathing room other studios lack. But even they’ve lowered their expectations.

The streaming backfire: During the pandemic, Disney sent some well-received original Pixar films (‘Soul,’ ‘Luca,’ ‘Turning Red’) straight to Disney+ while weaker entries like ‘Lightyear’ got the theatrical treatment. Since then, convincing audiences to see Pixar originals in theaters has been an uphill battle.

Looking ahead… Pixar's adapting with a "one original for every sequel" strategy. ’Toy Story 5’ is coming alongside original ‘Hoppers’ (2026), then ‘Gatto’ (2027)—their first hand-painted film. After 30 years of computer animation, they're mixing things up, hoping something fresh might help get through this slump.

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Still using that old profile pic?

Whether you’re job hunting, networking, or building your brand, your profile pic speaks before you do.

InstaHeadshots turns casual selfies into professional-grade headshots in just 5 minutes—no studio, no stress. Some quick details:

💼 Perfect for LinkedIn, resumes, websites & more.
🔒 No subscription. No data stored.
🕔 Ready in minutes. Really.
✅ Used by 150,000+ professionals from Google, Amazon, Microsoft & more.

Create your Headshots Now

CLOSEUP
🎬 FilmLA just locked in another five years…

L.A.'s Board of Public Works voted Friday to renew the film permit office's contract for five years, despite industry calls for changes to the city's notoriously expensive and cumbersome permitting process. CA United, a coalition of industry workers, had been pushing for alternatives such as a six-month extension instead of the full five years to allow time for negotiations on what they see as needed reforms.

The city faced what Councilmember Adrin Nazarian described as "two unacceptable choices"—Option one: renew the five-year contract without time to negotiate changes. Option two: let the contract expire on July 1st, "leaving us without any legally constituted permitting authority" and doing "irreparable damage to an industry that is already in crisis."

But reform advocates did score some wins:

• FilmLA committed to modifying the contract within a year with input from unions and the mayor's office

• Quarterly transparency: FilmLA's performance reports will now be public agenda items at Board meetings

• Future accountability: There's discussion of establishing clear performance standards for future contracts

Looking ahead… As Councilmember Nazarian noted, "The thousands of Angelenos who rely on the film and television industry for their livelihood will be watching carefully." Translation: prove these reforms actually work, or face the music next time around.

STATISTIC
🎬 Theater execs are betting against themselves…

A new poll by analyst Stephen Follows surveyed U.S. film industry professionals including cinema owners and exhibitors, and asked what they think about cinema’s future. Spoiler alert: they’re not exactly brimming with confidence. Here the key stats:

• 54% of exhibition executives believe traditional moviegoing has less than 20 years left as a viable business model

• Two-thirds of sales/distribution execs agree

• Only 1 in 8 theater operators say they've fully recovered to pre-COVID revenue levels

• 77% of cinema execs believe day-and-date streaming releases actively harm their business

• 81% want exclusive theatrical windows of at least six weeks

• 58% of exhibitors credit cost-cutting and reduced staffing as their main recovery tactic, suggesting they're managing decline rather than engineering growth

There’s a sneaky detail in how the survey was worded, though: respondents were asked about "traditional" cinema, potentially allowing them to imagine theaters surviving in some transformed state (think entertainment complexes rather than movie screens). Either way, it's a candid look at an industry planning for major changes while keeping the lights on today.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Owen Wilson is rejoining Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro for ‘Meet the Parents 4.’ (more)

• Jon Bernthal joins Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ bringing the Punisher into the Marvel-Sony big-screen universe for a 2026 release. (more)

• ‘Suburban Psycho’ wraps production with Ron Perlman, Malin Akerman, and Ryan Hansen leading the dark comedy. (more)

• King Charles & Idris Elba are teaming up on a 2026 Netflix doc about ‘The King’s Trust,’ the charity that helped launch Elba’s acting career. (more)

• Richard Stanley is directing horror film ‘Steel Donkeys,’ set at the UK’s Bloodstock Festival. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Russell Crowe joins Henry Cavill in Chad Stahelski’s ‘Highlander,’ taking on the iconic Ramirez mentor role in the Amazon MGM and UA reboot. (more)

• McConaughey & Harrelson’s untitled Apple comedy halts production after showrunner David West Read exits over creative differences. (more)

Business 🤝

• Apple TV+ inks multi-year first-look deal with Chernin Entertainment, the studio behind ‘Hidden Figures’ and ‘The Greatest Showman.’ (more)

• Jason Lublin exits Endeavor after nearly two decades to become president of Patrick Whitesell’s new investment firm, ‘WTSL.’ (more)

• FCC seeks public input on potentially changing broadcast TV ownership rules, including the long-standing 39% national audience cap. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Shanghai launches a newly merged film and television market. (more)

• CAA will face trial over claims it secretly blacklisted ‘The Newsroom’ writer John Musero as “underperforming.” (more)

• U.K. Government unveils a $100M “Screen Growth Package” and $200M fund to boost film, TV, and creative talent across the country. (more)

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Daily News for Curious Minds

Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440! Dive into 1440, where 4 million Americans find their daily, fact-based news fix. We navigate through 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive roundup from every corner of the internet – politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a quick, 5-minute newsletter. It's completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight. Subscribe to 1440 today.

Sign up now!

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments