🎬 1 Billion

👋 Good morning! After a two-year hiatus, Will Smith made a fiery return at the BET Awards with his new track ‘You Can Make It.’ Performing with Fridayy and Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir, Smith’s comeback featured an emotional intro by Taraji P. Henson and a dramatic entrance through a ring of fire. See a full list of last night’s BET Awards winners here. 👈👀

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🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Olympic Ads Go Programmatic

• IATSE Clears Way for AI

• Prime Video Gains Ground

• 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. 🧠 Inside Out 2: Pixar’s emotional sequel holds strong at #1 for the third consecutive weekend, raking in $57.4M domestically, bringing its domestic total to $469.3M and a global cume of $1.014B. It’s now the fastest animated film to cross the billion-dollar mark in just 19 days, beating the previous record holder, ‘Frozen 2’!

2. 👽 A Quiet Place: Day One: Paramount’s prequel delivers a franchise-high debut with $53M domestically and $98.5M globally. Despite its strong start, it couldn’t dethrone ‘Inside Out 2,’ settling for the second spot.

3. 🏜 Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1: Kevin Costner’s epic western opens to a modest $11M domestically. This $100M passion project, partly self-financed by Costner who invested $38M of his own money and is paying for the marketing, struggled with a B- CinemaScore and mixed reviews. The sequel has already been shot, and the third installment is currently in production, but the disappointing opening raises concerns about the franchise’s future.

4. 🚔 Bad Boys: Ride or Die: Lands at #4 with $10.3M domestically and surpasses $300M globally.

5. 🏍 The Bikeriders: This indie film drops 66% from its opening weekend, earning $3.3M and struggling to maintain its box office presence.

6. 😺 The Garfield Movie: The lasagna-loving feline grabs $2M, a 47% decline, nearing a $90M domestic total in its sixth week.

7. 🦍 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Adds $1.7M, down 55%, with a strong $168M domestic total.

8. 🕊 Kinds of Kindness: Sees a surprising 298% boost to $1.5M with an expansion to 490 theaters, totaling just over $2M.

9. 🌈 IF: Falls 51% to $1.34M, nearing the $110M mark domestically.

10. 🎭 Thelma: Collects $1.32M, a 43% drop, bringing its domestic total to $5.1M.

This weekend’s box saw two films grossing over $50M, a rare feat not seen since last July’s ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ releases. The total domestic estimate of $153M marks a 19% increase from last year.

With strong openings and continued performance from top films, the box office is performing better than the pre-pandemic years, reflecting a resilient recovery and a promising outlook for the summer season.

🥇📺 Olympic ad game just got a major upgrade! NBCU and Warner Bros. Discovery (the rights holders for Olympic coverage in the US and Europe respectively) are leveraging their digital platforms—Peacock and Eurosport—to open up advertising opportunities to smaller brands through programmatic buying. It's like Tinder for ads, but instead of swiping right on potential dates, you're matching with prime Olympic airtime. This move democratizes access, meaning your favorite indie brand might just pop up between gold medal moments. While big players like Visa stick to their exclusive turf, the influx of diverse ads could mean fewer repetitive commercials. Plus, with AI keeping an eye on quality, even the little guys can play nice with the big brands. If this works, expect programmatic to hit more live sports, making advertising a whole new ball game.

🤝🤖 IATSE's new deal with the studios is ushering AI onto sets and into editing bays across Hollywood. This groundbreaking agreement acknowledges AI as a tool in film and TV production while setting up protections for crew members. Here are the key takeaways:

• AI is officially recognized as a production tool, with some limitations

• Personal AI setups can be charged as a kit rental, like any other gear

• No one can be forced to use AI to replace coworkers

• Consent required before AI scans crew (can't be mandatory)

• Regular check-ins to keep AI use in check

• AI training programs to help crew level up their skills

• Studios can't outsource AI work to non-union folks

• Employers retain the right to ban AI on their productions

• Workers indemnified from liability when using approved AI

• Existing severance policies cover AI-related job losses

Bottom line: While AI is here to stay in Hollywood, crew members have a voice in its implementation and some key protections.

📺🚚 Amazon Prime Video is giving free shipping a run for its money as the top reason folks are Prime-ing up their lives. A new survey shows 61% of Prime members are in it for the streaming goodness, nipping at the heels of the 73% who still love their next-day toilet paper deliveries. With an estimated 72M U.S. viewers, Prime Video's not just Netflix's annoying little sibling anymore. The secret sauce? NFL's ‘Thursday Night Football’ is scoring big, with 58% of Prime households catching at least one game. Amazon's playing 4D chess, bundling e-commerce with streaming and now sports. For industry pros, this means it's time to think beyond binge-worthy series – maybe your next big hit needs to come with free guac delivery.

Need a gritty crime drama to kickstart your summer? Look no further.

Jeremy Renner is back as Mike McLusky in Taylor Sheridan and Antoine Fuqua's 'Mayor of Kingstown'. As a drug war tears through the city, McLusky faces off against the Russian mob and a dangerous ghost from his past.

👉 Start your free Paramount+ trial today to watch Season 3 NOW. 👀

Development 🗒️

• Will Forte joins Netflix’s comedy series ‘The Four Seasons’ as a series regular, alongside Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and others. (more)

• Briana Middleton joins Callum Turner as the co-lead in Apple TV+‘s new sci-fi drama ‘Neuromancer,’ based on William Gibson’s award-winning novel. (more)

• Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tony Hale will present the 2024 Emmy nominations on Jul. 17, alongside TV Academy chair Cris Abrego. (more)

• Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ S2 casts Callum Kerr as Smoker, Julia Rehwald as Tashigi, Rob Colletti as Wapol, and Ty Keogh as Dalton. (more)

• Freestyle Digital Media acquires North American rights to the Midwest dramedy ‘All Happy Families,’ planning a limited theatrical and VOD release this fall. (more)

• ‘Last Breath,’ Woody Harrelson’s deep-sea diver thriller, is set for a Feb. 28, 2025 release by Focus Features. (more)

• ‘Obsession,’ Prime Video’s thriller series, adds Kira Guloien, Celeste Oliva, Jesse James Keitel, Matt Murray, and Patch Darragh to its cast. (more)

• 20th and Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media are adapting the New York Times bestselling thriller ‘California Bear’ by Duane Swierczynski, with Gary Lennon co-writing the script. (more)

• Warner Bros. hints at a December 18, 2026 release date for ‘Dune: Part Three,’ though no formal announcement has been made. (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘The Big Door Prize’ is cancelled after 2 seasons by Apple TV+. (more)

Business 🤝

• CAA launches a new Media & Entertainment Partnerships division, led by Libby Bush. (more)

• After selling its CAA stake, private equity giant TPG is launching a new talent management company. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Redbox’s parent company, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after facing significant financial struggles. (more)