🎬 Bigger Than Barbie

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🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Streamers, Ad Tiers, and Sports

• IATSE Negotiations Resume

• Sundance’s Hunt

• 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. 🧠 Inside Out 2: Pixar’s sequel is crushing it, adding another $100M this weekend. With $355.2M domestic and $724.4M global, it’s second only to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ post-COVID and even outpaces ‘Barbie’ ($351M) in its first 10 days. The movie’s massive appeal has turned it into a must-see event, drawing in crowds of all ages. A $500M domestic total seems inevitable, with sights set on topping ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ ($574M) and ‘Barbie’ ($636M). Plus, theaters are loving the boost in concession sales.

2. 🚔 Bad Boys: Ride or Die: Despite a 44% drop, the action-packed sequel held strong with $18.8M domestically, pushing its total to $146.9M in the US and maintaining solid performance in its third week.

3. 🏍️ The Bikeriders: Jeff Nichols’ motorcycle club drama roared into theaters with a $10M domestic debut and a $13.972M global total, marking the biggest opening for the director.

4. 🐾 The Garfield Movie: Added $3.6M, reaching $85.1M domestically in five weeks.

5. 🦍 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: The saga continues with $3.6M this weekend, totaling $164.4M domestically.

6. 🌈 IF: Earned $2.8M, bringing its domestic total to $106.6M.

7. 👹 The Exorcism: Russell Crowe’s horror film opened with $2.4M domestically.

8. 👵 Thelma: Magnolia’s action romp debuted with $2.2M, driven by strong reviews.

The box office totaled $150.6M this weekend, up 31.8% from the same frame last year—a positive trend for 2024’s cinematic landscape.

Streamers, Ad Tiers, and Sports
At Cannes Lions 2024

Streaming companies made waves at Cannes Lions 2024, which wrapped up before the weekend — and they clearly weren't just there for the rosé. These content powerhouses flexed their advertising muscles, joining traditional media giants and agencies in the spotlight.

For context: Once upon a time (like, 3 years ago), streaming platforms were still Cannes Lions newbies. Even then, their presence at the festival was more activation-based. Think fun, immersive pavilions designed to engage festival-goers. But recently, they’re stepping up their game and vying for those coveted awards, signaling their serious intent to dominate the ad space.

So, what’s behind their increased presence? Two words: ad tiers.

Streamers are carving out an increasingly large slice of the ad market pie. Amazon Prime Video jumped on the bandwagon in January, automatically enrolling users in ad-supported plans (sneaky, sneaky). Netflix and Disney+ have been in the game since 2022, with Netflix even considering bringing free ad-supported tiers in some markets. The numbers are eye-popping:

• Netflix is projected to rake in $950M from its ad-supported tier this year.

• Their ad revenue per viewer? A whopping $70.44, leaving competitors in the dust.

• With 20M U.S. and 40M global ad-supported users, Netflix is dominating the field.

But the real game-changer? Sports. Streamers have been on a sports rights shopping spree.

• Amazon's got Thursday Night Football

• Netflix snagged exclusive NFL action on Christmas Day

• Apple's serving up global MLS matches

Meanwhile, Cannes was here for it. The festival was buzzing with sports talk. FIFA planted its flag right on the beach, while sports stars showed up in droves.

Live sports are an advertiser's dream come true. Massive audiences, real-time excitement, and built-in commercial breaks. Take American football — it's basically designed for ad slots. Every time the action pauses, ka-ching!

Industry experts see the sports ad frenzy as a self-feeding monster: More engaged viewers mean more money from ads, which then leads to even more investment in sports rights. Rinse and repeat. Don’t expect the trend to slow down any time soon.

One thing's for sure: streaming, sports, and advertising are colliding in a big way. And Cannes Lions 2024 just confirmed it.

Hollywood’s Basic Crafts union coalition, including Teamsters Local 399 and IBEW, returns to the negotiation table today, pressing studios to show urgency. With contracts expiring July 31, union leaders criticize the lack of urgency from the studios. They’ll be joining forces with IATSE for this week’s talks. The ball is in the studios’ court to set the tone and avoid potential strikes as Hollywood’s labor landscape remains tense.

Sundance’s hunt for a new home is getting real. This past Friday marked the deadline for cities to submit their bids to host the famed film festival after its Park City contract wraps in 2027. Boulder, CO, has thrown down a $1.5M gauntlet, but it’s up against other hopefuls like Minneapolis, Santa Fe, and a trio of cities in Georgia. No clear frontrunner yet, but Park City isn’t out of the race. With travel costs and local laws in the mix, Sundance’s future locale is still anyone’s guess. The next step? Sundance will sift through these bids to announce finalists later this year or early next.

Development 🗒️

• Todd Harthan is the new showrunner for ABC’s ‘High Potential,’ replacing Rob Thomas. (more)

• Apple Original Films acquires the Jennifer Lawrence-starring murder mystery ‘The Wives,’ inspired by the ‘Real Housewives’ franchise, co-produced by A24. (more)

• Sony announces Robert Zemeckis’ new film ‘Here,’ starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, will have a wide release on Nov. 15, 2024. (more)

• Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan are in talks to star in the second season of Netflix and A24’s anthology series ‘Beef.’ (more)

Business 🤝

• Paramount Pictures appoints Andres Alvarez as EVP, Head of Home Entertainment, following Bob Buchi’s departure after 18 years. (more)

• Sony Pictures Television extends Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz’s overall deal for another two years, continuing her work on scripted comedy series. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Apple TV’s VFX workers have filed to unionize with IATSE, representing 17 employees across six productions. (more)

• The Writers Guild of America West announces 19 candidates for the 2024 board of directors election, with voting closing on September 24. (more)