🎬 New Strategy, Who Dis?

👋 Good morning! Just when you thought it was safe to go to the movies without a viral popcorn bucket sensation, here comes the Dark Knight to shake things up. AMC is unleashing the Batman 85th Anniversary popcorn bucket on Aug. 28, because apparently, our snack-holding needs weren't quite met by the Deadpool bucket or the Dune sandworm bucket.

Welcome to the Dailies. Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or a new arrival, we're thrilled to have you here. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we'll deliver the most important industry scoops directly to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• WBD’s TNT Lifeline

• Apple TV+’s New Strategy

• Emmys Voting Wraps

• 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. 🦸‍♂️ Deadpool & Wolverine: $18.3M domestic weekend (-39%), $577.2M domestic total, $1.21B global. Reclaims the top spot in its 5th frame, now the 8th biggest MCU movie globally.

2. 👽 Alien: Romulus: $16.2M domestic weekend (-61%), $72.6M domestic total, $225.4M global. Strong second weekend, especially in China.

3. ❤️ It Ends With Us: $11.85M domestic weekend (-50%), $120.8M domestic total, $242.6M global. Now Blake Lively's highest-grossing movie domestically.

4. 👀 Blink Twice: $7.3M domestic opening, $14M global debut. Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut stumbles despite solid reviews (79% on Rotten Tomatoes).

5. 🙏 The Forge: $6.6M domestic opening. Faith-based drama scores an A+ CinemaScore.

6. 🌪️ Twisters: $6.2M domestic weekend (-38%), $248.6M domestic total.

7. 👧 Coraline (re-release): $4.9M domestic weekend, $24.1M re-release total. 15th anniversary showings continue to impress.

8. 🦅 The Crow: $4.6M domestic opening. Reboot crashes and burns with abysmal reviews (20% on Rotten Tomatoes).

9. 🟡 Despicable Me 4: $4.4M domestic weekend (-30%), $348.2M domestic total, $885.4M global.

10. 💭 Inside Out 2: $2.1M domestic weekend (-39%), $646.3M domestic total, $1.649B global. First animated film ever to cross $1B internationally.

The Big Picture: Hollywood's party fizzled this weekend with a lukewarm $94.5M total, down 33% from last week. Newcomers ‘Blink Twice’ and ‘The Crow’ landed with all the grace of a three-legged cat. While this weekend is actually up 4% compared to the same weekend last year, 2024's overall box office is still trailing 2023 by 13.8%. All eyes are on Tim Burton's ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ to pull a rabbit out of the hat come September.

Internationally, ‘Inside Out 2’ became the first animated film to cross $1B overseas, while ‘Alien: Romulus’ is scaring up impressive numbers in China, raking in $73.3M so far and becoming the second-biggest Hollywood movie in China this year.

Specialty Corner: While the big guns were misfiring, the indie scene was cooking up some tasty morsels. ‘Strange Darling’ earned $1.14M in 1,135 theaters, while ‘Between The Temples’ pulled in $677.9K on 576 screens, showing that Jason Schwartzman can still draw a crowd. But the real MVP? ‘Coraline’! This 15-year-old animated gem is still going strong, raking in $4.9M for a re-release total of $24.1M.

📺🎭 While everyone's writing cable TV's obituary, Warner Bros. Discovery is throwing TNT a lifeline. The network plans to launch new dramas in 2025, aiming for high-energy shows that appeal to its male audience. It's a gutsy move, considering WBD just took a $9.1B hit on their cable biz, lost their NBA rights, and saw their joint streaming venture with Disney and Fox get blocked. Just yesterday, they shocked everyone by snagging ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter’ from The CW, complete with a two-season order. They've appointed TV production head Channing Dungey to lead the cable networks, signaling a commitment to original content. But let's not get ahead of ourselves—TNT's still got some tough talks with cable providers coming up. It's like WBD's trying to thread the needle between old-school cable cash and streaming dreams. If TNT pulls this off, it might just show the old dogs of TV still have some tricks left in the streaming age.

🍎🎥 Apple is clarifying its broader film strategy moving forward: Remember when the tech giant pulled a switcheroo on ‘Wolfs,’ (that Clooney-Pitt flick) yanking it from wide release to a one-week theatrical run before hitting streaming? Turns out, that wasn't just a one-off. After a string of expensive films like ‘Napoleon’ and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ underperformed at the box office, the tech giant is changing course. The new plan? They'll produce just one or two big-budget "event" films a year for theaters, while most projects will be capped at $80M and head straight to Apple TV+. This move comes after noticing that streaming-only releases like ‘The Instigators’ are actually driving more subscriber growth. With Hollywood facing a tough year (box office down 13.8%), Apple's adapting to the times. They're still aiming for awards and critical acclaim (remember 'CODA'?), but now with a more cautious approach to theatrical releases.

🏆🗳️ The clock is ticking as Emmy voters scramble to cast their final ballots. With voting closing today, Aug. 26, the race is still wide open in several categories. Nominations reflect a surprising level of inclusivity despite a 33% drop in submissions, and this year's race is shaping up to be a nail-biter. Here's what our crystal ball is showing:

• FX's ‘Shōgun’ is poised to conquer: This historical epic leads the pack with 27 nods and is projected to snag a whopping 12 wins.

• FX's culinary dramedy ‘The Bear’ is hot on ‘Shōgun's’ heels with 25 nominations and a projected 11 wins. Jeremy Allen White might need to clear more shelf space for that Best Actor trophy.

• FX and Netflix are in a tight race for most awarded network, with projections of 27 and 23 wins respectively.

• Jeremy Allen White ('The Bear') is favored for Best Actor.

• Dark Horses emerge: Keep an eye on dark horses like ‘Baby Reindeer’ and ‘Fallout,’ each predicted to take home 5 awards.

The 75th Emmy Awards air September 15.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Treat Your Newsletters Right

🚨 Breaking news: Your inbox is officially a disaster zone! 

Don’t worry—Meco is here to save the day. This app is like a personal organizer for your newsletters, rescuing them from the chaos and giving them a cozy, distraction-free home.

With swipe-to-read wizardry, super-smart filters, and a feed smoother than silk, Meco makes reading a joy again. Join 30k+ readers who’ve already escaped the inbox apocalypse. Download Meco today and reclaim your sanity!

Development 🗒️

• Warner Bros. Television moves closer to a potential ‘Ted Lasso’ S4 by renewing contracts for key cast members. (more)

• TNT greenlights its first original scripted miniseries since the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger, ‘Debriefing the President,’ which will explore the 2003 CIA interrogation of Saddam Hussein. (more)

• James Spader is set to reprise his role as Ultron in Marvel’s upcoming ‘Vision’ series. (more)

• Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming Tom Cruise movie has assembled a star-studded cast, including Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, and Sophie Wilde. (more)

• Fans of ‘My Lady Jane’ are rallying to save the show, launching a petition to renew the Prime Video series after its unexpected cancellation. (more)

• Atlas Comics is developing a live-action ‘Devilina’ film at Paramount. (more)

Business 🤝

• The NBA is battling Warner Bros Discovery in court, claiming the company lacks the reach and financial stability to match Amazon’s offer for future TV rights, as tensions escalate over the loss of NBA broadcasting rights. (more)

Other News 🚨

• A24 is offering free screenings of ‘Sing Sing’ at AMC theaters nationwide, with celebrity hosts like Natasha Lyonne, Bette Midler, and the Brooklyn Nets, as part of a campaign to promote the film about incarcerated men staging theatrical shows. (more)

• Disney has been fined $36,000 by CAL/OSHA following the tragic death of a crew member on the set of Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man.’ (more)

• Casting assistants in Los Angeles and New York unanimously voted to unionize under the Teamsters, gaining official representation ahead of key contract negotiations with the AMPTP. (more)

• Lionsgate pulled the ‘Megalopolis’ trailer and parted ways with marketing consultant Eddie Egan after discovering that AI-generated, fake critic quotes were used in the promotion. (more)

• Inbox looking dull? Let these awesome free newsletters throw the ultimate party in your email! (more)