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š¬ Messy TV Breakup
PLUS: SNL's TikTok Success, IMAX's Bold Forecast, and MORE!
š Good morning! Wonder Dynamics just launched Wonder Animation, an AI tool that turns live-action footage into fully manipulatable 3D scenesācamera tracking data and all. The tech, co-developed by Tye Sheridan (the actor from 'Ready Player One,' because virtual worlds are clearly his thing), lets you shoot anywhere and convert your footage into a 3D environment that plays nice with Maya, Blender, and Unreal.
Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, weāll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywoodāno need to chase down a newsstand, weāve got everything you need right here.
š Hereās whatās on the reel today:
Comcast Plots Cable Split
SNL's TikTok Success
IMAX's Bold Forecast
Last Looks: š Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects
Video Village: The latest trailers
Release Radar: What to watch this weekend
Martini Shot šø
But first, itās Friday, so letās take a look at what people were watching this weekā¦ š
TOP STREAMED
š What U.S. audiences were watching this weekā¦
FILM š„ Netflix: Donāt Move Max: Trap Disney+: Inside Out 2 Prime Video: Canary Black Paramount+: A Quiet Place: Day One Hulu: The Beast Within Apple TV+: Itās the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Peacock: Hotel Transylvania | TV šŗ Netflix: Beauty in Black Max: The Penguin Disney+: Bluey Prime Video: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Paramount+: Tulsa King Hulu: 9-1-1 Apple TV+: Shrinking Peacock: The Addams Family |
CLOSEUP
šŗ Comcast's planning a messy TV breakupā¦
During its Q3 earnings call, Comcast dropped two bombshells: the company's thinking about splitting up its TV empireāspinning off cable networks into their own company, while possibly hooking up with Paramount for streaming. These moves could kickstart the final phase of the streaming wars as media giants scramble to survive.
What's behind the spinoff move?
Protecting the good stuff: Gotta shield those money-makers (broadband, NBC broadcast, Peacock, Universal Studios, theme parks) from cable TV's decline. Time to separate the old cable networks (USA, Bravo, MSNBC) that still make money but are shrinking fast.
Cable's falling off a cliff: Another 365,000 subscribers said "thanks, but no thanks" this quarter, bringing total cable TV customers down to 12.83M.
Following the trend: Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery already wrote off $15B in cable network value, signaling a bigger industry shift.
Meanwhile, in streaming land:
Peacock finally hit 36M subscribers but still lost $436M this quarterāeven with an Olympics boost.
Price hikes went into effect in July and August, but still arenāt fixing the money problem.
Comcast says it's open to streaming partnerships, specifically mentioning Paramount
Think Hulu: Just as Comcast and Disney share Hulu, a Paramount partnership could create another major streaming playerāthough details remain under wraps.
The bigger picture: Traditional players seem to finally accepting the cable bundle's twilight. As streaming consolidates, we might end up with just 3-4 major streaming players battling it out.
Looking ahead: Comcast's moves could start a domino effect across media. By splitting into two companiesāone managing TV's decline, another chasing digital growthāthey're admitting the old TV model is broken. The real question isn't if other media giants will follow suit, but how quickly they'll reshape themselves for streaming's brave new world.
WIDESHOT
š¬ SNLās TikTok success, and IMAXās big year aheadā¦
š±š SNL's cracking the Gen Z code with a TikTok transformation that's paying off big. The 50-year-old sketch show has exploded on social, racking up 1B+ views this seasonāa 178% jump from last yearāby meeting young viewers where they scroll. While traditional networks struggle to capture Gen Z (who are dumping streaming services and spending 88% of watch time on phones), SNL's social team is surgically dissecting sketches into TikTok-sized bites and spawning viral hits like their āBridesmaid Speechā spoof that topped 100M views. It's not their first youth culture pivotāin the 2000s, Andy Samberg's Lonely Island crew revolutionized the show with viral YouTube shorts like āLazy Sunday,ā which helped SNL capture millennials during the early days of online video. Now, they're repeating that playbook for TikTok, even recruiting creator Jane Wickline (1M followers) to the cast. The big question: can they convert these social views into meaningful Peacock revenue? For now, they're proving legacy media can speak fluent Gen Z without losing their DNA.
š„š IMAX is proving to be Hollywood's silver lining. While the broader box office struggles in 2024ādown 11.4% from last year and trailing pre-pandemic levels by 26.8%āthe premium format is bucking the trend. The Q3 earnings tell the story: while regular theaters fight for audiences, IMAX is eyeing a record-breaking $1.2B in 2025 ticket sales by doubling down on what streaming can't match: truly epic moviegoing experiences. They're growing worldwide with new deals in Australia, France, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, while landing a killer lineup of films shot with IMAX cameras, including:
Disney/Marvel's āCaptain America: Brave New Worldā
āMission: Impossible 8ā (Tom Cruise back for more massive stunts)
āSuperman: Legacyā (James Gunn's fresh start for DC)
Christopher Nolan's mystery 2026 project
āAvatar 3ā
New āStar Warsā film (first big-screen adventure since 2019)
āThe Batmanā sequel
Even Netflix, once seen as theaters' biggest rival, is considering an IMAX release for Greta Gerwig's Narnia remake. CEO Rich Gelfond told investors it's simple: post-pandemic audiences will pay more for experiences they can't get at homeāand IMAX's numbers prove it.
INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Gold hits new peak as the Fed cut ratesā¦
š„Following a bold 50 basis point rate cut by the US Federal Reserve, spot gold reached a peak of 2,687 per troy ounce. Experts predict that this bullish trend for the precious yellow metal may continue, so it may be smart to get in now before prices keep climbing.š
*The information provided in this email is for educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice.
LAST LOOKS
Development šļø
Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan are set to return for Apple and Skydanceās European-set holiday sequel to āThe Family Planā. (more)
Bryan Cranston and Lily Gladstone are set to lead Mark Pellingtonās conspiracy thriller āLone Wolf.ā (more)
Warner Bros. is in early discussions to develop a āGame of Thronesā movie, though no creative direction or attachments have been set. (more)
Maika Monroe and Chloe Okuno reunite for the horror film āBrides,ā a feminist twist on vampire lore set in 1960s Italy. (more)
Kit Harington and Billy Magnussen team up for Steve Pinkās quirky horse racing comedy āChariot,ā (more)
Mark Wahlberg and Sterling K. Brown will star in Elegance Brattonās true-crime thriller āBy Any Means.ā (more)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star in āPendulum,ā a psychological thriller produced by Darren Aronofsky. (more)
John Krasinski returns as Jack Ryan in a new Amazon MGM feature film, joined by Wendell Pierce and potentially Michael Kelly. (more)
Amazon MGM acquired Julia Coxās spec script āLove of Your Lifeā for nearly $2M, with Ryan Gosling attached as producer, marking one of the biggest spec script deals recently. (more)
Theo James will star in Kim Jee-woonās thriller āThe Hole,ā based on Hye-young Pyunās novel. (more)
Idris Elba will lead the action-thriller āHammer Down,ā produced by Charles Roven and Black Bear. (more)
Russell Crowe will star in āThe Last Druid' with William Eubank set to direct. (more)
Jake Kasdan, Patty Jenkins, and Joe Cornish are set to direct three new live-action āLego' movies for Universal. (more)
Armie Hammer returns to acting with a role in the western āFrontier Crucible,ā marking his first project in over three years following resolved assault allegations. (more)
Business š¤
Rola Bauer exits her role as Head of Pan-English Scripted Originals at Amazon MGM Studios after two years, with her teamās projects now merging under Amazon MGMās main television group. (more)
NBA star Anthony Edwardsā Three-Fifths Media has partnered with Wheelhouse to launch a new āWheelhouse Sportsā label. (more)
Other News šØ
The Grammys are set to leave CBS for Disney platforms, including ABC, Hulu, and Disney+, starting in 2027 under a ten-year deal. (more)
Carol Lombardini will step down as AMPTP president next year. (more)
The Animation Guild and AMPTP have extended contract negotiations into November, with additional bargaining dates set. (more)
RELEASE RADAR
š
What to watch this weekend?
š„ THEATRICAL
Absolution: Crime thriller starring Liam Neeson as an aging gangster, directed by Hans Petter Moland.
Blitz: Historical WWII drama from director Steve McQueen, starring Saoirse Ronan. Opens in limited release before hitting Apple TV+ later this month.
Here: Drama about a single spot of land and its inhabitants across time, from director Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright
Hitpig!: Animated cyberpunk comedy about a bounty hunter pig and his elephant target, featuring voices of Jason Sudeikis and Lilly Singh
šŗ STREAMING
The Diplomat: (Netflix) S2 of the political thriller series starring Keri Russell and Allison Janney.
Like Water for Chocolate: (Max) Period drama series adapting the beloved Mexican novel, executive produced by Salma Hayek Pinault.
š® BOX OFFICE PREVIEW
'Venom: The Last Dance' should hold onto #1 with around $20M (-60%), while Sony stablemate 'Here' targets $3-7M despite mixed reviews. Newcomers 'Absolution' and 'Hitpig!' are set for modest debuts in what looks to be a quiet pre-holiday frame, with things picking up when 'Red One' arrives Nov. 15th.
VIDEO VILLAGE
šŗ Latest trailers
Aaaaand... that's a wrap! If you're reading this email because a friend hooked you up, don't fretājust hit that subscribe button and join the party. š§š
Have a great weekend! Catch bright and early on Wednesday!
-The Dailies Team
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