🎬 Strike Averted

👋 Good morning! Good news: IATSE and the AMPTP have reached a tentative deal on the Area Standards Agreement. 🎉 This agreement, which applies to IATSE members outside of Los Angeles, means no IATSE-related work stoppages or disruptions this summer – pending ratification, of course.

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:

• A24 Gets a Boost

• The Bear’s Nails Timing

• Toys ‘R’ Us Visits the Uncanny Valley

• Paramount Hits Delete

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

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Video Village 📀

• Martini Shot 🍸

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

TOP STREAMED THIS WEEK IN THE US

Indie film darling A24 just hit a new high with a $3.5B valuation. The hefty boost is thanks to a $100M investment from Thrive Capital, led by Josh Kushner (yep, Jared Kushner’s brother). It’s a significant turnaround for A24, which reportedly sought a $3B sale in 2021 without success. A24 is now ambitiously taking bigger bets that are paying off, notably with its mainstream leap through Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War.’ This $50M budget film shattered expectations, opening with $25.7M and doubling the record for any prior A24 release. While there’s chatter that the Thrive deal potentially opens the door to AI collaborations from OpenAI (one of Thrive's major investments), A24 has no immediate plans to integrate AI into its operations. Instead, the studio plans to use the new money to push ahead with bigger, more commercial films, with possible forays into live shows and music.

‘The Bear's’ Emmy campaign is a masterclass in strategic timing and buzz-building. Here's the deal: They're dropping new seasons right when Emmy voters are making decisions about the previous season. Sneaky, right? By releasing Season 2 during nominations for Season 1, they gave voters fresh material to drool over (hello, Richie's Taylor Swift moment). Now they're doing it again with Season 3. This approach keeps the show top-of-mind and lets newer, potentially better episodes influence votes for older seasons. It's a bit of a mind-bender, but it's working. ‘The Bear’ swept the last Emmys, and this tactic could help them stay hot in a crowded field.

Toys 'R' Us has unveiled the first-ever brand ad created with OpenAI's Sora, and it's as weird as you'd expect. This 66-second fever dream tells the company's origin story using AI-generated visuals that are equal parts impressive and unsettling. While some are praising the innovative approach others are feeling like they've stumbled into a glitchy nostalgia simulator. It's like watching the first wobbly steps of a toddler who might grow up to be Usain Bolt. Bottom line: As Sora preps for its big debut, this Toys 'R' Us stunt is giving us a sneak peek at what AI in advertising might look like.

Paramount just hit the delete button on pop culture history. The media giant wiped clean the websites of Comedy Central, CMT, TV Land, and MTV, redirecting users to its streaming platform, Paramount+. This move follows the shuttering of the MTV News website earlier this week, signaling a major shift as the media giant aims to streamline its digital presence and cut costs. While some content's still floating around YouTube, the loss of easily searchable clips from shows like ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘South Park’ is a significant blow for fans. Former MTV News founding editor, Michael Alex, lamented the loss of 25 years of entertainment history, describing the archives as a playground for music fans and an invaluable resource for cultural documentation.

Need a gritty crime drama to kickstart your summer? Look no further.

Jeremy Renner is back as Mike McLusky in Taylor Sheridan and Antoine Fuqua's 'Mayor of Kingstown'. As a drug war tears through the city, McLusky faces off against the Russian mob and a dangerous ghost from his past.

👉 Start your free Paramount+ trial today to watch Season 3 NOW. 👀

Development 🗒️

• Jeffrey Wright joins Michael Fassbender in Paramount+’s CIA thriller ‘The Agency,’ now filming in London. (more)

• HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series has appointed Francesca Gardiner as showrunner and Mark Mylod as director. (more)

• ‘Street Fighter’ gets a 2026 release from Sony. (more)

• Alex Richanbach will direct and produce the rom-com ‘Single at the Wedding’ for New Line Cinema. (more)

• Netflix is developing a film adaptation of Tillie Cole’s bestseller ‘A Thousand Boy Kisses,’ with Stephen Chbosky set to direct. (more)

• Apple TV+ is launching a six-part Vietnam War docuseries, produced by the Emmy-winning team behind ‘9/11: One Day In America.’ (more)

• Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions is developing a feature film based on Cirque du Soleil’s ‘O’ as the circus group launches its own entertainment studio. (more)

• A24 acquires horror spec ‘Mice’ with David Bruckner set to direct and Todd Spence and Zak White making their first major sale as screenwriters. (more)

• ‘Baby Reindeer’ creator Richard Gadd moves to HBO for his next series ‘Lions,’ a drama about two brothers spanning 40 years. (more)

• Marvel’s Kevin Feige reveals ‘The Fantastic Four’ as a 1960s period piece, starting filming on Jul. 29. (more)

• AMC has greenlit a Silicon Valley drama series from Jonathan Glatzer. (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘Interview With the Vampire’ is renewed for S3 at AMC. (more)

• ‘The D’Amelio Show’ is not returning for S4 at Hulu. (more)

• ‘Perfect Match’ is renewed for S3 at Netflix. (more)

Business 🤝

• Time and OpenAI have entered a multi-year partnership, granting OpenAI access to 101 years of Time’s archival journalism for use in AI-generated content. (more)

• Michael Showalter and Jordana Mollick’s Semi-Formal Productions have signed a multi-year first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios. (more)

• SkyShowtime partners with Prime Video Channels to launch in Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. (more)

• Fox-backed streaming platform Caffeine, which had raised nearly $300M, abruptly shuts down, ending its service as of Jun. 26th. (more)

Other News 🚨

• SAG-AFTRA proposes expanding its video game contract to cover indie projects with budgets between $15M and $30M, enhancing protections for performers and incorporating robust A.I. safeguards. (more)

• Alamo Drafthouse will reopen six recently closed theaters in Texas and Minnesota following its acquisition by Sony Pictures Entertainment. (more)

• Netflix expands Albuquerque Studios, boosting the facility’s total New Mexico production investment to nearly $900M since 2019. (more)

What to watch this weekend? 👀

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1: Part one of Kevin Costner’s American Western epic series.

• A Quiet Place: Day One: Prequel film, and third installment of the series, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn.

• Janet Planet: A24 drama written and directed by Annie Baker.

📺 STREAMING

• Fancy Dance: (Apple TV+) Lily Gladstone stars in this drama about a woman searching for her missing sister on a reservation.

• Land of Women: (Apple TV+) Eva Longoria stars in this comedy-drama thriller about a woman who flees to Spain with her family after her husband’s financial dealings unravel.

• WondLa: (Apple TV+) Animated sci-fi fantasy series based on the books ‘The Search for WondLa.’

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

This weekend, ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ is creeping up to unseat ‘Inside Out 2’ from its top spot. Expect ‘Inside Out 2’ to pull in another $50-$55M as it continues to dominate with over $800M globally. But don’t count out ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’—this horror prequel is set to make some noise with an equally strong $50-$55M opening.

Meanwhile, Kevin Costner’s western epic ‘Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1’ is riding into theaters with an anticipated $12-$20M debut, thanks to his loyal ‘Yellowstone’ fans. Overall, the top 10 box office is projected to haul in a solid $135M-$175M.