🎬 Was It Plagiarized? 😱

👋 Good morning! Ever wonder why we call those shiny gold statuettes “Oscars”? According to the most popular theory, credit goes to Margaret Herrick, the Academy's first librarian, who thought the statuette resembled her "Uncle Oscar.” This off-the-cuff remark stuck, and thus, the Oscar nickname was born.

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🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• ICYMI Oscars Highlights

• ’The Holdovers’ Accused of Plagiarism

• Can’t Spot the Bot

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

• 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. 🐼 Kung Fu Panda 4: Dominates with a $58.3M domestic debut. Poised to help the franchise surpass $2B globally.

2. 🏜️ Dune: Part Two: Secures $46M domestically in week two, with a global total of $367.5M. Shows strong staying power.

3. 👻 Imaginary: Opens at #3 with $10M domestically.

4. 🙏 Cabrini: Debuts with $7.6M domestically, finding its audience in a crowded market.

5. 🎵 Bob Marley: One Love: Collects $4.1M in its fourth week, totaling $89.3M.

6. 👼 Ordinary Angels: Brings in $2M in its third week, for a total of $16.1M.

7. 🕸️ Madame Web: Falls to $1.1M, reaching a $42.6M total in its fourth week.

8. 🦋 Migration: Adds $1.1M in week 12, cumulating $125.3M.

9. 🎉 YOLO: Debuts with $840K in a limited 200-screen release.

10. 🍫 Wonka: Drops to $600K, hinting at a sweet ending to its cinematic journey.

🎬🏆 ICYMI Oscars Highlights: Last night, the 2024 Oscars took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The evening was hosted by none other than Jimmy Kimmel, marking his fourth year as the master of ceremonies. A welcomed tradition revival saw past acting winners presenting awards, adding a personal touch to the ceremony. Here are some highlights:

• ‘Oppenheimer’ won 7 awards, including Best Picture. 🏆

• Christopher Nolan won Best Director for ‘Oppenheimer.’ 🎥

• Cillian Murphy won Best Actor for ‘Oppenheimer.’ 🎭

• Emma Stone won Best Actress for ‘Poor Things.’ 🎭

• Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell's ‘What Was I Made For?’ from ‘Barbie’ bagged Best Original Song. 🎵

• Ryan Gosling performed ‘I’m Just Ken.’ 🎤

• Al Pacino's …uhh… unique presentation of the Best Picture award to ‘Oppenheimer’ added an unexpected twist to the evening's conclusion. 🤔

• See the full list of winners here. 👈

🚨📄’The Holdovers’ Accused of Plagiarism: Alexander Payne's Oscar-nominated film ‘The Holdovers’ is caught up in a contentious plagiarism dispute with ‘Luca’ writer Simon Stephenson. Stephenson has accused Payne's drama of being a "line-by-line" copy of his unproduced screenplay ‘Frisco,’ sparking a high-profile controversy in Hollywood's awards season. Both scripts share similar premises, focusing on world-weary middle-aged men and a 15-year-old under their care, though in different contexts. This dispute has captivated the public, some claiming the evidence against Payne is damning, while others argue that the two scripts share little beyond a broad structural similarity. Despite ‘The Holdovers'‘ critical acclaim and five Oscar nods, including a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, emails and documents reviewed by Variety reveal a complex web of interactions suggesting Payne had access to ‘Frisco’ years before ‘The Holdovers’ materialized. The Writers Guild of America, despite being looped into the dispute, has yet to find a resolution, leaving Stephenson to consider legal action.

🎬🤖 Can’t Spot the Bot: Think you could tell the difference between videos made by humans from those whipped up by AI? You might be surprised. A recent HarrisX survey reveals a startling truth: over 60% of those surveyed couldn’t distinguish between videos made by flesh-and-blood humans and those conjured by OpenAI's Sora. Respondents were astonished and concerned after taking a look at Sora’s lifelike visuals from aerial shots of Big Sur to Gold Rush-era California. The survey found a broad consensus for AI regulation with 74% of those surveyed supporting mandatory labels for AI-created music, captions, and sounds, though doubts loom over watermarking’s effectiveness. 76% expressed support of regulatory measures to safeguard employment against AI-induced displacement.

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Development 🗒️

• Brian Tee returns to 'Chicago Med' in S9 to direct an episode, reuniting with the cast and crew after his departure as an actor. (more)

• Zach Galifianakis joins the cast of Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building.’ (more)

• Madeline Brewer joins the cast of Netflix's 'You' for its fifth and final season. (more)

• Shane Gillis is rumored to be the star in Quentin Tarantino's last film, ‘The Movie Critic.’ (more)

• Illumination and Nintendo are teaming up again for a new animated film set in the Super Mario Bros. universe. (more)

• Sophie Wilde is set to star in New Regency's film adaptation of the Ubisoft video game 'Watch Dogs.’ (more)

• Demi Lovato, alongside Rose Byrne and Dominic Sessa, stars in 'Tow.’ (more)

• Paramount+ greenlights 'The Crow Girl' from Buccaneer Media. (more)

• Harald Zwart, known for directing ‘The Karate Kid’ reboot, is set to direct upcoming thriller ‘Betrayed.’ (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘Break Point’ is cancelled at Netflix. (more)

Business 🤝

• Hollywood's content spending is projected to rise in 2024 by 5%, still not reaching 2022 levels, as U.S. media giants focus on cost reduction, debt management, and a shift towards sports programming over expensive dramas. (more)

• Alibaba invests $640M in Hong Kong's content industry and forms a strategic partnership with Media Asia to support and revitalize the region's entertainment sector. (more)

Other News 🚨

• The American Film Market is moving to Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort for its 45th edition. (more)

• The use of AI is the main issue in SAG-AFTRA's video game contract talks, with the union's chief suggesting a strike against major game companies is highly likely. (more)

• Joe Biden's State of the Union Address in 2024 sees a viewership increase to 32.3M, marking an 18% rise from the previous year. (more)

• Doug Liman decides to attend the SXSW 'Road House' premiere after initially planning to boycott it. (more)

• ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ will premiere on Max on April 18. (more)