🎬 Netflix's Unlikely Hero

👋 Good morning! Ever dreamed of spending the night in a real-life haunted hotel? Blumhouse and Peacock are about to make that nightmare a reality. They're transforming the infamous Stanley Hotel—yes, the one that inspired ‘The Shining’—into an "Overnightmare" experience this October. Here's hoping the "Do Not Disturb" signs work on vengeful spirits.

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:

• Duplass Bets on Indie TV

• YouTube Dominates Movie Promos

• Netflix’s Unlikely Hero

• 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

🎬💸 Mark Duplass is betting big on "indie TV" with his Netflix series ‘Penelope.’ Breaking from tradition, Duplass and co-creator Mel Eslyn independently financed and produced all eight episodes before seeking distribution—an unprecedented move for scripted TV. After premiering at Sundance 2024, ‘Penelope’ sparked a bidding war, with Netflix ultimately securing U.S. rights. Duplass sees an opportunity in this "endangered" middle ground of interesting television, proposing an ecosystem of TV festivals as marketplaces for indie content. He's banking on streamers realizing their content drought and pivoting to acquisitions over internal development. Duplass' deal with Netflix for ‘Penelope’ exemplifies his strategy: leveraging the platform's algorithm while retaining global rights—basically mirroring indie film strategies. If successful, Duplass' model could revolutionize TV production and distribution, potentially ushering in an era of more diverse, creator-driven content.

🎬📺 Hollywood's red carpet is now rolling straight to YouTube. A new study shows online shows are leaving late-night TV in the dust for movie press tours. While ‘The Tonight Show’ cuts to four nights a week and ‘Late Night’ axes its house band, YouTube sensations like ‘Hot Ones’ are becoming the A-list promo holy grail. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and ‘Twisters’ saw online clips demolish late-night appearances, racking up 80% more views and 86% higher engagement. Even ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ initially banking on TV nostalgia, couldn't resist the YouTube pull—online clips still nabbed 53% of top promo views. This shift mirrors YouTube's broader conquest, recently surpassing Disney as the most-watched media on TV with over 10% of monthly viewing time. For studios, the writing's on the wall: YouTube's not just another stop—it's becoming the main event.

📺🎬 Netflix has been getting a boost from an unlikely hero: NBCUniversal’s animated films. Netflix’s data dump last week revealed a surprising twist: NBCU’s toons are dominating the streamer they don’t own. In the first half of 2024, NBCU claimed the top 6 animated spots on Netflix, with ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ leading the pack at 80.3M views. Even 2025’s ‘Minions’ scored an impressive 72.7M views. So why is NBCU playing for Team Netflix? It’s all a part of their strategic licensing plan that follows a specific pattern: films debut on Peacock for 4 months, move to Netflix or Amazon for about 10, then return to Peacock. It’s a win-win—NBCU earns substantial licensing revenue, Netflix keeps its library fresh without the production headache, and Peacock aims to lure viewers back. With children’s content having proven itself as an effective defense against subscriber churn, this animated alliance seems to be just the power-up both streaming giants need.

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Development 🗒️

• Michelle Nader has joined ABC’s ‘Shifting Gears’ as showrunner under her new overall deal with 20th Television. (more)

• Chris Hemsworth and Sam Rockwell are starring in ‘Stuntnuts,’ a new action-comedy film series produced by Matthew Vaughn’s Marv Films. (more)

• Fredrik Eklund is developing a new real estate series with ‘Vanderpump Rules’ producer Evolution Media. (more)

• Netflix has acquired the Anthony Hopkins-led biblical epic ‘Mary,’ which will be released later this year. (more)

• Peter Ocko has been named showrunner for Amazon’s ‘Robocop’ TV series, with James Wan set to executive produce. (more)

• Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide distribution rights for Embeth Davidtz’s directorial debut ‘Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight.’ (more)

• Neon has acquired ‘The Life of Chuck,’ starring Tom Hiddleston, after the film won the Toronto Film Festival’s prestigious audience award. (more)

• Mike Faist and Hoon Lee have joined the cast of Netflix’s limited series adaptation of ‘East of Eden,’ starring Florence Pugh. (more)

• Tim Roth has joined Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Ferguson, and Barry Keoghan in the highly anticipated ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie. (more)

• 50 Cent is producing a Netflix docuseries on the abuse and trafficking allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs. (more)

• Bill Hader is developing a new HBO comedy series with ‘Barry’ writer Duffy Boudreau. (more)

• Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films and Rivulet Films are teaming up for the pickleball comedy ‘The Dink,’ starring Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, and Ed Harris. (more)

Business 🤝

• Disney has begun another round of layoffs affecting around 300 corporate staffers across various divisions. (more)

• LeBron James’ and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company has partnered with European studio Mediawan to co-produce original films and TV projects. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills expanding financial protections for child influencers. (more)

• The Teamsters’ casting agreement negotiations with the AMPTP remain unresolved, with significant gaps in compensation talks and no new bargaining dates set. (more)

• SAG-AFTRA has filed a petition to officially organize intimacy coordinators, bringing these professionals under the union’s representation. (more)

• Disney+ has officially begun its U.S. password-sharing crackdown. (more)

What to watch this weekend? 👀

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Megalopolis: Francis Ford Coppola’s long awaited epic sci-fi drama, starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito and more.

• The Wild Robot: Animated sci-fi adventure from DreamWorks, directed by Chris Sanders and featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal.

• My Old Ass: Coming-of-age comedy-drama from director Megan Park goes wide this weekend, starring Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza.

• Lee: Biopic drama starring Kate Winslet as war photographer Lee Miller.

• Azrael: Action-horror film directed by E.L. Katz starring Samara Weaving.

📺 STREAMING

• Penelope: (Netflix) Coming-of-age drama about a teen escaping to the wilderness, co-created by Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn

• Apartment 7A: (Paramount+) Psych thriller directed starring Julia Garner and Dianne Wiest, serving as a prequel to Rosemary's Baby.

• Nobody Wants This: (Netflix) Romantic comedy series starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.

• Killer Heat: (Prime Video) Crime mystery drama starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, based on a short story by Jo Nesbø's.

• Mr. McMahon: (Netflix) Six-part documentary series directed by Chris Smith, exploring the controversial career of WWE founder Vince McMahon.

• Rez Ball: (Netflix) Sports drama directed by Sydney Freeland, featuring an ensemble cast including Jessica Matten and Amber Midthunder.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

Movie lovers have an eclectic mix to choose from this weekend. DreamWorks' new animated adventure ‘The Wild Robot’ is the clear favorite to win, expected to rake in $20-30M thanks to positive reviews and family appeal. Meanwhile, holdovers ‘Transformers One’ and ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ are battling it out for second place, both looking at $12-15M in a likely photo finish. The wild card is Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious $120M sci-fi epic ‘Megalopolis,’ only expected to make $5-7M, but cinephiles might turn out in force for this long-awaited project.

The Bottom Line: We're looking at a total weekend box office around $65-85M. While that's not breaking any records, it's a solid showing as Hollywood continues its post-pandemic recovery.