🎬 Netflix Taking WBD?

👋 Good morning! Remember yelling "Don't go in there!" at horror movies? A film called 'Slay Day' just made that a binding vote. The slasher hits theaters fall 2026, letting audiences use their smartphones to collectively decide every critical decision in real time. Should the teens split up? Trust the suspicious stranger? The crowd decides, and with over twenty unique endings built into the story, no two screenings will ever be the same. Some theaters might crown a Final Girl, others could massacre the entire cast. After its theatrical run, it heads to Steam, PlayStation and Xbox.

Happy Friday. We've got streaming numbers, the week's biggest moves, and enough industry intel to make you sound informed at whatever holiday party you're contractually obligated to attend this weekend. Let’s get into it. 👇

How last week’s releases are stacking up…

Top-streamed chart (U.S.) Nov. 28-Dec. 4. Data provided by Luminate.

Warner Bros. Discovery has selected Netflix as the winning bidder for its studio and streaming assets and kicked off exclusive deal talks. Netflix hit WBD's asking price of $30 per share to beat out rivals Paramount and Comcast. It's a big reversal for Netflix, which just two months ago was publicly skeptical about big media mergers, saying they don't have an "amazing track record." Some details:

Netflix beat out Paramount Skydance and Comcast after three rounds of increasingly messy bidding. Paramount didn't go quietly, firing off two aggressive letters to CEO David Zaslav this week. The company warned a Netflix deal would likely "never close" due to regulatory issues and claimed the sales process was "tainted by management conflicts," basically alleging WBD executives were picking whichever bidder would give them the best jobs after the deal. Paramount even doubled its breakup fee to $5B to show it could get through regulators.

Hollywood pushback: A group of anonymous prominent filmmakers also jumped in, sending their own letter to Congress yesterday urging lawmakers to block the deal. They warned Netflix would "effectively hold a noose around the theatrical marketplace." The letter claims the deal could shrink theatrical windows to as little as two weeks before films hit streaming and urged "the highest level of antitrust scrutiny."

Looking ahead… Netflix still has to get through some serious regulatory scrutiny. Rep. Darrell Issa has already raised antitrust concerns, and the EU is expected to take a close look. Plus, Paramount's aggressive moves suggest they might not be done. The company could still take its case straight to WBD shareholders if they think the process was rigged. Bottom line: exclusive talks don't mean this is over.

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'Sweetwater' premiered at the Academy Museum this week. The 21-minute short stars Michael Keaton and Kyra Sedgwick in a story about a man who encounters a hologram of his deceased celebrity mother.

The film is part of Google's broader push to reshape how AI is portrayed on screen, bankrolling films that position the technology as emotionally redemptive rather than dystopian. Think more 'Her,' less 'Terminator.' Some moments that stood out at the premiere:

So what's really going on here? Google is working to convince consumers that AI can be a force for good… or at least not evil. The company's funding what critics call AI's rehabilitation tour with A-list talent and emotional storytelling. Surveys show Americans are split on AI, with many seeing it as doing more harm than good. And that perception problem could hurt as copyright lawsuits mount and regulation looms. Less marketing, more cultural groundwork.

Looking ahead… Google has mentioned more films in the pipeline, including one called 'Lucid' (about a couple sharing dreams through AI). Google says after the screening, more filmmakers expressed interest in similar projects.

🤝 Jon M. Chu signed a three-year first-look deal with Paramount for film and TV, moving over from Warner Bros. in January. Universal tried landing the 'Wicked' director after his record-breaking box office smash, but Paramount won out in another talent coup for David Ellison's refreshed studio.

🏆 The National Board of Review handed out its annual awards Wednesday, with Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' sweeping best film, director and acting prizes. It's the third straight day the movie claimed a major award after victories at the Gotham Awards and New York Film Critics Circle.

🎭 Thousands of UK actors could refuse digital scanning on set after their union Equity launched a vote through Dec. 18 on the action. The move aims to pressure producers into AI protections amid fears actors' scans could train models without consent, as talks with producer body Pact stall.

🤖 Another AI commercial: Svedka's running a 30-second Super Bowl ad Feb. 8, the first vodka spot in about 30 years. The commercial uses AI to show the brand's revived "fembot" performing a fan-submitted dance, though Svedka says using AI required more work from their creative team.

🎥 THEATRICAL

📺 STREAMING

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW: 'Zootopia 2' should hold the top spot with $50-70M despite a strong challenge from 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' ($35-45M debut, tracking well below the first film's $80M), with 'Wicked: For Good' rounding out the top three around $20-30M. If projections hold, the frame could top last December's first-weekend record of $137M. Not bad for what's usually a box office wasteland.