🎬 Going Full Hollywood

👋 Good morning! While studios debate the value of theatrical re-releases, India just handed Warner Bros. a $1.2M answer. Christopher Nolan's ‘Interstellar’ shattered IMAX re-release records in the territory this weekend, demonstrating untapped potential in the South Asian market for prestige Hollywood revivals. The seven-day limited run is now prompting discussions about possible extensions given the unprecedented turnout.

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 Goes Full Hollywood

• YouTube on the Big Screen

• Paramount’s New Financing Deal

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

CLOSEUP
🎬 Amazon’s getting into the old-school movie biz…

Amazon MGM Studios is launching its own international distribution arm when its Warner Bros. deal expires later in 2025. Instead of just relying on other studios to get their movies into theaters worldwide, Amazon's building its own teams to negotiate with international theaters and manage global releases.

Why? International markets have become too valuable to leave to middlemen, and more importantly, the industry's realizing streaming and theatrical aren't the enemies everyone thought they were.

The proof is piling up:

• ‘Creed III’ crushed it with a $276.1M box office before landing on Prime Video

• ‘Wicked’ dominated theaters with $600M+, then broke PVOD records in its first week

• Netflix just gave Greta Gerwig's ‘Narnia’ a four-week IMAX exclusive window in 2026—their longest theatrical commitment yet, spanning 1,000+ screens globally

Looking ahead… Amazon's already lining up heavy hitters for 2026, including Chris Pratt's sci-fi ‘Mercy’ and ‘Three Bags Full’ with Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson. By bringing distribution in-house, they're betting big on something Wall Street once thought impossible: that streaming and theatrical can actually help each other thrive. While other streamers are just dipping their toes in theatrical waters, Amazon's diving in headfirst.

WIDESHOT
🎬 YouTube trends, and Paramount’s new deal…

📺📈 YouTube viewers are ditching phones for TV screens. According to CEO Neal Mohan's annual letter, Americans now prefer watching YouTube on their TVs rather than mobile devices. It’s a pretty striking reversal of the “mobile-first” mindset that’s dominated video strategy for the past decade. YouTube still beats Netflix when it comes to Nielsen ratings, cementing its position as America’s go-to streaming destination. Here’s what’s really interesting: YouTube Shorts, those quick-hit vertical videos basically built for phone scrolling, are also finding their way to living room screens. This shift challenges the industry's core belief that younger viewers want everything on their phones, suggesting instead that they're platform-agnostic—they'll watch what they want, where they want. For content creators and streaming platforms investing heavily in mobile experiences, YouTube's TV dominance might force a serious strategy rethink.

💰⚖️ Paramount's found new cash for its movies as box office uncertainty grows. The studio just inked a slate financing deal with Domain Capital Group—basically, they're getting an investor to share the costs (and profits) of multiple upcoming films instead of gambling solo on each movie. But these deals aren't exactly trending well: in 2021, Bron Studios was sued for not paying investors what they were owed, C2 Studio's CEO quit last year amid fraud claims, and similar partnerships across Hollywood are ending up in court. At the heart of these disputes is the increasingly messy "waterfall" model of revenue distribution—think of it as a pecking order for who gets paid first when a film makes money. Streaming has only complicated matters, transforming how success is measured and profits are split. For studios like Paramount, it's a necessary gamble, even if recent industry drama suggests that sharing the financial burden often means sharing the headaches.

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LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Miles Teller and Casey Affleck will star in ‘Wild Game,’ a manhunt thriller directed by Jason Hall, with Capstone launching sales at EFM. (more)

• Live Nation Productions is making ‘New Years Rev,’ a Green Day-inspired comedy. (more)

• Jaume Collet-Serra will direct ‘Play Dead,’ a survival thriller produced by Ghost House Pictures, BoulderLight, and Nocturnal. (more)

• Malcolm McDowell and Alex Hassell will star in ‘Dog & Bull,’ a dark crime thriller launching sales at EFM. (more)

• Miles Teller will star as Italian cycling legend and WWII hero Gino Bartali in ‘Bartali,’ directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. (more)

• ‘The Mongoose,’ Liam Neeson’s action thriller, is filming in Australia, with Marisa Tomei, Ving Rhames, and Michael Chiklis joining the cast. (more)

• Dave Bautista will star in ‘Dreadnought,’ a dystopian sci-fi thriller from the ‘John Wick’ producers, launching sales at EFM. (more)

• Vertical has acquired Kevin James’ action comedy ‘Guns Up,’ set for a summer theatrical release. (more)

• Amazon and Warner Bros. are bidding on a Radio Silence biopic about paranormal radio host Art Bell starring Paul Giamatti. (more)

• Wes Anderson’s ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ lands global distribution with Focus Features, set for a June 6 wide release. (more)

• Kristen Wiig and Bill Murray will star in ‘Epiphany,’ a comedy from ‘Palm Springs’ director Max Barbakow, with sales launching at EFM. (more)

TV Development 🗒️

• Billy Magnussen will lead AMC’s untitled Silicon Valley drama, playing a tech CEO at the center of a data-mining scandal. (more)

• Matthew Rhys will star in and executive produce ‘Widow’s Bay,’ an Apple TV+ series about a skeptical mayor in a superstitious New England town. (more)

• Ben Stiller will star in ‘The Band,’ an HBO dramedy about a scandal-ridden music mogul assembling a boy band. (more)

• Blair Singer is developing a Fox series adaptation of Karen Rose’s thriller ‘Cold Blooded Liar.’ (more)

• Sean Bean will play the Sheriff of Nottingham in MGM+’s ‘Robin Hood’ series, a modern take on the classic tale. (more)

• Amy Adams and Javier Bardem lead Apple TV+’s ‘Cape Fear’ series, produced by Scorsese and Spielberg. (more)

• Peter Dinklage has joined ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ as a billionaire with a dark side, alongside Michael C. Hall in the Showtime sequel series. (more)

• John Ross Bowie will reprise his role as Barry Kripke in Max’s upcoming ‘Big Bang Theory’ spinoff, joining other returning cast members. (more)

Business 🤝

• Titus Welliver has signed a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios, extending his long-running partnership beyond ‘Bosch: Legacy.’ (more)

• Fox Corp. has acquired podcast company Red Seat Ventures, integrating it into Tubi Media Group. (more)

• New York City pension funds have sued to halt Paramount’s $8B merger with Skydance, alleging a better $13.5B offer was ignored. (more)

Executive Moves 👩‍💼

• Becca Vodnoy has been named SVP of Corporate Alliances at Disney to help oversee global brand partnerships. (more)

• Fox Corporation has promoted John Nallen to president and COO under a new long-term deal, securing his leadership through 2028. (more)

• Jonathan Gabay has been named President of Television at Rideback, overseeing TV development and production. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Super Bowl LIX became the most-watched in history, drawing 127.7M viewers and setting a new halftime show record. (more)

• Check out last night’s full list of VES Award winners here. 👈👀

• Sick of the news? Join the other 4M Americans and sign up for the best free newsletter for unbiased reporting. (more)*

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VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
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