🎬 SAG Waivers Get Backlash...

PLUS: 'Scabbing' Accusations Get Ugly 😬

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The Dailies
July 31, 2023

👋 Good morning and welcome to the Dailies! Hollywood news simplified, delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday. Let's dive in...

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

  • SAG’s Stranglehold

  • Studios & Theaters Brace For Chaos

  • A24’s Out Of Control Budgets

  • WGA Members Rally to Include Animation Writers

  • Peacock’s Losses

  • Force Majeure Terminations

  • Magnolia Pictures Crowdfunds Tickets

But first, as usual, let’s take a look at what people went to see this weekend…

LAST WEEKEND’S
BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN 🎟️

Barbie: After a stellar $162.0M opening, the comedy continues its reign at the box office with a mild -43% decline, reaching $93.0M in its second weekend. It has already earned $351.4M domestically and $774.5M globally, ranking as the #4 film of the year.💃

Oppenheimer: The historical war drama maintains its position in second place, falling -44% to $46.2M in its second weekend. With $400.3M globally, it surpasses other World War II-set films, impressively outpacing major studio releases.💣

Haunted Mansion: Disney's family horror-comedy debuts in third place with $24.2M, equaling the original 2003 film's opening. Overseas, it opens with $9.1M, awaiting release in key markets. 👻

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One: After a steep -65% drop in its second weekend, the action sequel experiences a milder -45% decline to $10.7M in its third frame. It has earned $448.5M globally, trailing its predecessors but still performing well.🕵️‍♂️

Talk to Me: A24's horror-thriller makes a solid start with $10.0M in sixth place, demonstrating a promising debut for the genre title.💀

CLOSE UP

SAG’s Stranglehold
Casting Agreements, Frustrations, and Accusations

SAG-AFTRA has issued more interim agreements to film and TV projects, including waivers with a fresh casting designation. An untitled Guy Ritchie film and Destry Allyn Spielberg’s directorial debut, Please Don’t Feed the Children, are among the five films granted an interim casting agreement.

The new designations allow members to audition and negotiate casting for these productions, but they cannot start rendering services yet. So far, the union has approved 102 interim agreements, mainly allowing indie projects not tied to AMPTP-represented studios to proceed during the strike.

Silverman SLAMS Waivers

While these agreements have helped some productions move forward, they have also sparked frustration in the industry. Actor-comedian Sarah Silverman is upset about the number of projects granted interim agreements by SAG-AFTRA to film during the actors' strike, and she's not alone. She questions why movie stars are making indie movies under the waivers and calls on them to stand with the union during the strike.

Silverman believes the interim deals could prolong the strike and is critical of both the actors accepting the agreements and SAG-AFTRA for granting them. The large number of waivers for high-profile movie and TV productions has raised eyebrows, particularly when some projects have ties to struck companies. 😡

Hollywood publicists are also voicing their concerns after a tense Zoom meeting with SAG-AFTRA leadership regarding the impact of the dual strikes on their businesses. While the actors' guild maintains strict rules for publicity during the strike, the writers' guild has appeared to loosen its approach in recent weeks.

Publicists are calling for more flexibility, fearing that prolonged strikes may lead to firms shutting down, especially as actors go on hiatus and rosters thin out. Publicists are frustrated, confused, and uncertain about the future.

Viola Puts Her Foot Down

Viola Davis announced she is stepping back from her film 'G20' even though it's got the go-ahead from a SAG-AFTRA waiver to start production despite the ongoing actors' strike. She's making a stand, showing solidarity with her fellow actors who are on strike. This decision came after the union said the film could go ahead, being a product of a non-AMPTP studio and simply distributed by Amazon. There’s clearly a growing tension between independent projects given waivers to continue and the broader actors' strike. The question is: will other actors follow in Viola’s footsteps?

What do you think?

Are SAG waivers ok?

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‘Scabbing’ Accusations

In the midst of the strikes, writer and EP for Netflix’s 'The Witcher,' Javier Grillo-Marxuach, faces accusations of "scabbing" due to his social media posts about the show. Although he clarifies that the posts were made within WGA guidelines, he removed them to ensure his loyalty to the guild and commitment to the strike are unquestionable. The situation reflects the complexities of the strikes and the emotions involved for those in the entertainment industry.

The fear and uncertainty in the Hollywood community continue to grow as the strikes persist, creating a challenging time for all involved.

WIDE SHOT

🍿Studios and Theaters Brace for Chaos if Strikes Continue into Fall 🌟 Hollywood studios and cinema owners are worried about the potential havoc on upcoming movie release calendars if the ongoing actors and writers' strikes aren't resolved soon. The recent successes of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" brought a much-needed boost to the box office, but with the strikes still ongoing, studios are uncertain about whether to rearrange their fall and winter tentpoles. The box office ecosystem remains fragile, and studios are concerned about actors' inability to promote films from major studios during the strike. Executives don't foresee immediate changes, but if the situation persists, big movies set for November and December could face challenges in finishing production and marketing without actor promotions.

💸 A24's Budgets Reportedly 'Out of Control' 🔥 A recent report suggests that A24, the popular film and television company, has been splurging on some eye-popping budgets for their movies. According to sources, they spent $75 million on Alex Garland's ‘Civil War’ and $70 million on ‘Beau is Afraid,’ both of which are considered more commercial for A24. Other projects like ‘Problemista’ starring Tilda Swinton and ‘Past Lives’ had budgets of $12 million each. The deals with Showtime and Apple made A24 believe streamers would pay top dollar for their movies, but it turns out streamers aren't dishing out such big figures anymore, leaving A24 with an expensive slate on their hands. Their most recent release was the horror film Talk to Me, and upcoming projects include ‘Medusa Deluxe’ and ‘The Iron Claw’, a film about the Von Erich wrestling family. 😅

🖊️ East Coast WGA Members Rally to Include Animation Writers After Strike 🌟 The efforts to bring animation writers into the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have gained momentum during the ongoing writers' strike. Around 100 people gathered outside Warner Bros. Discovery's offices in New York, pledging to prioritize WGA coverage for animation writers once the strike is resolved. Many animated shows have been unaffected by the strike as most animation writers aren't WGA members, but the WGA wants to represent them to have more bargaining power with studios. The WGA East executive director clarified that they won't hurt the Animation Guild's numbers as they're close to IATSE, TAG's parent organization, and both unions aim to protect entertainment industry workers through collective bargaining agreements.

📺📉 Peacock Reports $651 Million Loss in Q2 Amid Rising Subscribers The NBCUniversal streaming service, Peacock, gained two million subscribers during the June quarter, reaching 24 million total subscribers. However, despite the subscriber growth, the streamer suffered losses of $651 million during the same period. This continues a pattern of substantial losses, with $704 million lost in the previous quarter and $467 million lost in Q2 2022. The platform's revenue increased by 85% year-on-year, primarily due to advertising, as most subscribers are on the "Premium" tier. Peacock's parent company, Comcast, performed well overall in Q2, topping Wall Street's earnings and revenue expectations, with $30.51 billion in revenue and $4.72 billion in net income.

🚨Major Studios Considering Force Majeure Terminations for First Look and Overall Deals 📝 As the writers strike continues, major Hollywood studios and streaming platforms are contemplating terminating first look and overall deals with writers starting as early as August 1. The move would be made under contractual force majeure clauses due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. These deals, primarily in television, provide financial support and favored nation status for studios when it comes to potential distribution. While the termination is seen as necessary due to the prolonged strike, top talent contracts include safeguards against selective force majeure. The situation raises complex challenges for studios, including potential public relations issues, and leaves mid-range creatives more vulnerable. The outcome will likely depend on individual studio relationships and culture. 🖋️

🎥🎟️ Magnolia Pictures' 'Kokomo City' Allows Crowdfunding Tickets for Others 🤝 Indie documentary "Kokomo City," highlighting the lives of Black trans sex workers, is taking a page from "Sound of Freedom" by offering a Pay It Forward ticket program. Magnolia Pictures is encouraging audiences to "Support the Girls" by purchasing tickets for others to see the film at IFC Center in New York City. The documentary, which won the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlin Film Festival, offers a moving and insightful look into the lives of its subjects. The crowdfunding ticket model allows viewers to contribute to making the film accessible to a wider audience and offers a compelling alternative to summer blockbusters.

LAST LOOKS

  • Brad Pitt hits brakes on F1 film production to support strike. (more)

  • Sony’s Gran Turismo is delayed two weeks. (more)

  • Bella Thorne and Jack Kilmer to topline ‘The Tower’ under SAG interim agreement. (more)

  • Francis Ford Coppola praised Barbenheimer, saying that it was a ‘victory for cinema.’ (more)

  • First image emerges of Chris Pine in his directorial debut, ‘Poolman.’ (See here 👀)

  • First image emerges of Michael Fassbender in David Fincher’s new film, ‘The Killer.’ (See here 👀)

  • Hulu’s ‘Up Here’ musical comedy is cancelled after one season. (more)

  • CNN receives 45 News & Documentary Emmy nominations. (more)

  • Michael Mann’s ‘Ferrari,’ starring Adam Driver, is set to close New York Film Festival. (more)

  • Sony shuffles release date schedule due to SAG strike. (more)

  • Comic creators join writers at the picket line during WGA strike. (more)

  • Netflix dates its first major Christmas movie release for November 16th. (more)

  • Barbie’s soundtrack breaks records in the UK. (more)

  • A24’s ‘The Iron Claw,’ starring Zac Efron sets December release date. (more)

  • Disney plans to stop releasing DVD’s and Blu-ray discs in Australia. (more)

You know what time it is… 🎬

VIDEO VILLAGE

That's a wrap! Catch you bright and early on Thursday!

-The Dailies Team 🎬

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