🎬 Smaller Streamers, Bigger Bonuses

👋 Good morning! ‘Severance’ fans are discovering an unexpected side effect of Apple TV+'s hit thriller—traumatized dogs. The Washington Post reports viewers across the country are watching their normally chill pups pace, whimper, and literally hide when the show plays. Sound designer Jacob Ribicoff points to the show's high-pitched sounds as potential triggers, though it could just be your four-legged friend picking up on your own tension while watching.

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:

• Smaller Streamers, Bigger Bonuses

• Comcast Locks the Olympics

• Creator Upfronts Arrive

• 5 Years Post-COVID

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• The Daily Take

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, it’s Friday, so let’s take a look at what people were watching this week… 👀

TOP STREAMED
📊 What U.S. audiences were watching this week…

CLOSEUP
🎬 Smaller streamers = easier path to bonuses?

The first batch of streaming bonuses from last year's strikes have been awarded—and they're revealing some surprising math that might make Peacock and Paramount+ more appealing destinations for your next project. Here are the first shows to trigger those elusive WGA bonus payments:

• Netflix's 'Bridgerton,' 'Griselda,' and 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'

• Amazon's 'Fallout'

• Peacock's 'Ted'

Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA reports actors have received bonuses from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Paramount+ platforms, though specific shows weren't disclosed.

Quick residual refresher: Writers get standard streaming payments regardless of viewership, but now earn an additional 50% bonus when shows hit that crucial 20% subscriber threshold within 90 days.

The small streamer advantage? With thresholds set at 20% of subscribers, creators face wildly different viewership targets:

• To hit that mark on Netflix? You need ~60M views

• Same mark on Peacock? Just 7.2M hits that threshold

• Here’s the caveat: the bonus is 50% of your base residuals on both, but those can vary by platform and deal—so the total haul might differ. Still, those lower targets make smaller platforms a tempting spot to score that bonus cash.

This creates fascinating strategic considerations. Mid-tier projects might actually benefit from landing at smaller platforms where they can become big fish in smaller ponds. For platforms like Peacock and Paramount+, this threshold advantage offers a rare opportunity to attract talent without breaking the bank.

A pattern emerges: Four of five qualifying WGA shows were based on existing IP—suggesting established brands still drive the viewership needed to hit these thresholds.

One qualifying showrunner called these bonuses "better than nothing, but nowhere near traditional TV residuals." Another writer noted they’re seeing much bigger gains from other post-strike wins, like increased foreign streaming residuals.

Looking ahead... As production pipelines normalize post-strike, expect more qualifying shows in coming quarters. This "foot in the door" is already changing the strategic calculus for where your next project might find its best financial outcome.

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WIDESHOT
🎬 Olympics, YouTuber upfronts, and COVID recovery…

🏅💻 Comcast just dropped $3B to lock in the Olympics through 2036. The mega-deal ensures NBCUniversal and Peacock remain the exclusive Olympic playground while providing the International Olympic Committee with tech support and advertising muscle. This isn't just another sports rights grab—it's Comcast betting that premium live events still drive audiences even as viewing habits evolve. The deal specifically covers all forms of media—from old school TV to streaming services and digital platforms—essentially future-proofing their Olympic strategy no matter how viewers decide to watch in the coming decades. In an industry obsessed with quarterly results and subscriber churn, Comcast's 12-year commitment shows some content is valuable enough to transcend short-term planning cycles and deserves decade-long investment strategies.

📺🎬 YouTube stars are crashing the upfronts party. MrBeast, Dude Perfect and other top creators are staging an invite-only showcase on March 27, essentially telling networks “we’re coming for your ad dollars.” The digital A-listers are ditching the one-off brand deals for something much bigger: their own version of "upfronts"—those flashy presentations where TV networks traditionally woo advertisers with preview reels and promises of eyeballs. Over 150 CMOs will get exclusive peeks at creators' content calendars and audience data, signaling a power shift in the making. These creators boast 77B minutes watched by adults 18-49 in 2024, while YouTube leads all streaming with 11.1% of TV time. As YouTube duo Colin & Samir put it: "Creators are not just making videos, they're building modern media networks." For TV execs, the message is clear: the creator economy is no longer knocking at the door—it's taking a seat at the table.

🎬📉 Hollywood's big screen COVID comeback? Not quite. Five years after COVID shuttered theaters, the movie industry's recovery is lagging significantly behind other entertainment sectors. While Broadway is at 95% of pre-pandemic attendance and concert tours are setting new records (up 71% from 2019), theaters face a much different reality. The numbers comparing 2019 to 2024 reveal the extent of the challenge:

• US movie screens dropped 14% (from 41,172 to 35,481)

• Annual box office revenue fell 23% (from $11.3B to $8.7B)

• Yearly admissions plummeted 38% (from 1.3B to 800M)

• Wide releases decreased from 112 to 94 films

The 2023 industry strikes further complicated recovery, depleting the production pipeline and forcing streaming-intended projects into theaters. While other entertainment sectors seem to have solved their comeback puzzle, Hollywood's exhibition model still faces existential questions. As ‘Anora’ director Sean Baker urged at the Oscars: "Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen."

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Amazon MGM is teeing up a Tiger Woods biopic with ‘King Richard’ director Reinaldo Marcus Green. (more)

• Sadie Sink swings into the MCU, joining Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4,’ with rumors swirling that she might play Jean Grey. (more)

• Ellen Burstyn and Taika Waititi team up for ‘Place to Be,’ a heartfelt road trip drama directed by Kornél Mundruczó. (more)

• Glen Powell and Barry Jenkins team up for ‘The Natural Order,’ a Universal sci-fi thriller based on Matt Aldrich’s upcoming novel. (more)

• Chloë Grace Moretz will star in ‘The Edge of Normal,’ a serial-killer thriller from ‘Piggy’ director Carlota Pereda. (more)

• Phoebe Dynevor joins Jake Gyllenhaal in M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks’ supernatural romance. (more)

• Kelsey Asbille, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Ben Platt, and Emma Roberts lead psychological thriller ‘The Technique.’ (more)

• Bleecker Street lands ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,’ with a theatrical release set for Sept. 12. (more)

• Kate Beckinsale and Lewis Tan lead ‘Lioness,’ a London-set action-thriller about an ex-black ops team reuniting for a high-stakes heist. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Elizabeth Olsen will star in FX’s ‘Seven Sisters’ pilot, a psychological drama about a family unraveling when one sister hears a mysterious voice. (more)

• Nikki Glaser will return to host the 2026 Golden Globe Awards after earning rave reviews as the first solo female host in 2025. (more)

• Matthew Macfadyen will star as George Smiley in ‘Legacy of Spies,’ a TV series adaptation of John le Carré’s iconic spy novels. (more)

• Peter Sarsgaard joins Apple TV+’s ‘Neuromancer’ series. (more)

• David E. Kelley teams up with Harlan Coben to adapt the ‘Myron Bolitar’ book series into a Netflix TV show. (more)

• Netflix lands a high-stakes crisis PR drama starring Lizzy Caplan, with Halley Feiffer and A24 behind the timely project. (more)

• Alex Cooper moves into TV with ‘Overboard for Love,’ a yacht-set dating series for Hulu, marking her first project under Unwell Productions. (more)

Renewed & Canceled ✅ ❌

• Tyler Perry’s ‘Beauty in Black’ has been renewed for S2 at Netflix. (more)

• ‘Landman’ is renewed at Paramount+ for S2. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Screenplayer beta is now open—upload your script and let realistic voices bring your characters to life in minutes. Try it free. (more)*

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RELEASE RADAR
📅 What to watch this weekend?

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Black Bag: Spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett.

• The Last Supper: Biblical drama directed by Mauro Borrelli.

• Novocaine: Action comedy starring Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder.

• Opus: Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich-led thriller.

• The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie: Animated family comedy.

📺 STREAMING

• The Electric State: (Netflix) Sci-fi adventure starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, directed by the Russo Brothers.

• The Parenting: (HBO) Comedy horror starring Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn and Lisa Kudrow.

• Adolescence: (Netflix) British crime drama filmed in one continuous shot.

• Dope Thief: (Apple TV+) Crime drama miniseries starring Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura.

• The Wheel of Time: (Prime Video) Fantasy drama series returns for S3.

• Control Freak: (Hulu) Body horror film about a woman battling a parasitic entity.

THE DAILY TAKE
🗣️ Readers predict WB budget cuts…

POLL RECAP: After Warner Bros.’ ‘Mickey 17’ stumbled at the box office, we asked readers what happens next with their big-budget auteur strategy. Here are the results:

• ✂️ Budget cuts & tighter final cut control: 39%

• 🏆 One breakout hit saves the strategy: 25%

• 👔 Executive shuffle before year's end: 20%

• 📉 Total abandonment after another flop: 16%

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest trends & viral moments