🎬 Mega-FLOP-olis? 🤔

👋 Good morning! Warner Bros, Fox, and ESPN have finally unveiled their joint venture, Venu Sports, promising to simplify our chaotic sports streaming landscape. While the name "Spulu" had its moment, Venu Sports is definitely a smoother choice.

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:

• Cannes Day 4: Highlights and Reviews

• Netflix Doubles Down on Sports

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

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Video Village 📀

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, it’s Friday, so let’s take a look at what people were watching this week… 👀

TOP STREAMED THIS WEEK IN THE US

Cannes Enters Day 4
Highlights & Reviews

Cannes is currently bustling on its fourth day, brimming with a plethora of exciting projects.

On the market side, early impressions suggest a healthy vibe, particularly for international distributors. However, the U.S. market remains sluggish, operating at about a third to a quarter of its performance from two years ago. We'll need about a week to see if a rebound is in the cards.

As the festival continues, two standout films have captured significant attention: ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,’ and ‘Megalopolis.’ Here's a closer look at how they were received:

🌆 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

• ‘Furiosa’ received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with audiences thrilled by its intense action sequences and stunning visuals. Anya Taylor-Joy's fierce performance and Chris Hemsworth's fresh energy were particularly praised. Critics and fans alike are eagerly anticipating its wider release, expecting it to be a blockbuster hit.

• Standing Ovation Meter: 6-8 minutes 👏👏👏

🌐 Megalopolis

• ‘Megalopolis’ sparked a divisive reception, with critics split between praising its ambition and finding it pretentious. The film's visual splendor and philosophical narrative intrigued many, though some were left perplexed.

• IMAX has committed to screening the film, regardless of its distributor.

• Despite mixed reviews, Coppola's bold approach has made ‘Megalopolis’ a significant talking point.

• Standing Ovation Meter: 7-10 minutes 👏👏👏👏

👀 Other ICYMI at Cannes:

• Andrea Arnold’s ‘Bird,’ starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, received an enthusiastic applause lasting over 11 minutes according to Deadline. (more) 👏

• Kevin Costner's Western epic ‘Horizon’ secured French distribution with Metropolitan FilmExport ahead of its Cannes world premiere. (more)

• Focus Features acquired the thriller ‘Last Breath,’ starring Woody Harrelson, Finn Cole, and Simu Liu. (more)

• Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired U.S. rights to the new French adaptation of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’ (more)

• StudioCanal acquired U.K. and Ireland rights to ‘The Apprentice,’ a film about Donald Trump's rise in 1980s America, starring Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. (more)

🏈📺 Netflix Doubles Down on Sports: Netflix held its 2024 Upfronts presentation on May 15 at Pier59 Studios, unveiling a slew of exciting announcements and strategic updates. Here are the key takeaways from the event:

• 📺 Content Announcements: Netflix unveiled a massive content pipeline packed with new projects. More details below in ‘Last Looks.’ 👇

• 🏈 Sports and Live Events: Netflix is continuing a strong push into sports and live broadcasting. The platform secured exclusive streaming rights for NFL Christmas Day games for the next three seasons, committed to a $5B multiyear WWE deal, and will host the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match this summer.

• 📈 Ad-Supported Tier Growth: The ad-supported plan now boasts 40M global monthly active users (MAUs), a sharp increase from 5M a year ago.

• 🔧 Technology and Strategy: Netflix is transitioning to in-house ad tech by 2025. This means advertisers can have customized sponsorships and placements that fit better with what viewers are watching.

PRESENTED BY PRIME VIDEO

Watch The Idea of You Now

Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, ‘The Idea of You’ centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. Watch the full trailer here. 👈

Watch ‘The Idea of You’ now on @primevideo!

Development 🗒️

• Netflix tees up ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ with Adam Sandler. (more)

• ‘Raven's Home’ wraps after six seasons with Raven-Symoné set to steer new Disney spin-off, ‘Alice in the Palace,’ under fresh deal. (more)

• HBO announces ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,’ a new ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel set to premiere in 2025. (more)

• Sony Pictures Classics acquires ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin,’ a documentary featuring unprecedented archival footage and personal insights, set for a grand cinematic release. (more)

• ‘South Park: The End of Obesity’ is set to premiere on Paramount+ on May 24. (more)

• Donnie Yen is set to star in a ‘John Wick’ spin-off, reprising his role as Caine. (more)

• Kathryn Bigelow partners with Netflix for a new film set during a national crisis at the White House. more)

• Kristen Bell and Adam Brody star in Netflix's new comedy ‘Nobody Wants This.’ (more)

• Will Ferrell teams up with Ramy Youssef for Netflix's new comedy series ‘GOLF.’ (more)

• Kirsten Dunst and Daniel Brühl join Keanu Reeves in Ruben Östlund's new film ‘The Entertainment System Is Down.’ (more)

• Amazon MGM Studios acquires ‘The Robots Go Crazy,’ an action-comedy starring Andy Samberg with Radio Silence directing. (more)

• Marvel’s ‘Silk: Spider Society’ has been canceled at Amazon. (more)

• Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan are set to star in and executive produce the heist series 12 12 12, nearing a series order at Apple TV+. (more)

• Keira Knightley stars in new Netflix thriller ‘The Woman in Cabin 10.’ (more)

Sports 🏈

• Netflix teams up with Higher Ground and ‘The Last Dance’ producers for a docuseries on Olympic men’s basketball. (more)

• Netflix announces a new docuseries on the Dallas Cowboys. (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘3 Body Problem’ is renewed at Netflix. (more)

• ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ is renewed for S2 at Max. (more)

Other News 🚨

• The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will launch an official content market in 2026. (more)

• A24's ‘Civil War’ secures a theatrical release in China, marking the first for A24. (more)

• IMAX announced its 2025 film slate. (more)

• CNN will host a Biden-Trump debate on June 27 in Atlanta without a live audience, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. (more)

What to watch this weekend? 👀

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Back to Black: Dive into the life of Amy Winehouse with this highly anticipated biopic directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.

• If: A whimsical blend of live-action and animation in this fantasy comedy written by John Krasinski, featuring Ryan Reynolds.

• The Strangers: Chapter 1: The third installment in ‘The Strangers’ series.

• The Blue Angels: Experience this thrilling documentary produced by Glen Powell and J.J. Abrams, available exclusively in IMAX theaters for one week before streaming on Prime Video.

📺 STREAMING

• The Big Cigar: (Apple TV+) Uncover the dramatic story of Huey P. Newton, founder of the Black Panther Party, in this gripping 70’s biographical miniseries.

• Bridgerton: (Netflix) Return to the opulent world of Bridgerton with the much-awaited Season 3.

• Thelma the Unicorn: (Netflix) A heartwarming animated musical comedy based on the beloved children’s book, featuring an all-star voice cast.