🎬 A Real Pain 😩

👋 Good morning! Happy Monday, and welcome aboard the Dailies.

Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or a new arrival, we're thrilled to have you here. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we'll deliver the most important industry scoops directly to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Sundance Weekend 1 Recap

• Disney's Proxy War Heats Up

• Hollywood’s Production Accountant Shortage

• SAG-AFTRA Clamps Down on Casting Fee Practice

• 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. 🎤 Mean Girls: Drops to $11.7M domestically in its second weekend (-59%), yet leads with a $50M domestic total, outshining the 2004 original.

2. 🐝 The Beekeeper: Jason Statham's thriller secures $8.4M domestically (-49%), a solid hold for a second-place repeat.

3. 🍫 Wonka: Earns $6.4M domestically in its sixth week (-24%), reaching $187.1M, closely trailing 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

4. 💕 Anyone But You: Holds fourth with $5.4M domestically (-24%), reaching a surprising $64.2M, beating recent rom-coms. The film has topped $100M globally.

5. 🐦 Migration: Slides -15% to $5.3M domestically, totaling $94.6M, mixed performance compared to recent animated titles.

6. 🌊 Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Dips to $3.6M domestically (-30%), totaling $114.1M, underperforming compared to the original.

7. 🚀 I.S.S.: Space thriller debuts with $3M domestically, aligning with Bleecker Street's typical openings.

8. 🏊‍♀️ Night Swim: Falls -41% to $2.7M domestically in its second week, totaling $23.7M, a modest showing for Blumhouse.

9. 🚣 The Boys in the Boat: Drops slightly to $2.5M domestically (-26%), totaling $43.8M.

10. 💃 Poor Things: Rises +14% to $2M domestically, totaling $20.3M.

📽️ Sundance 2024 🍿
Weekend 1 Highlights

The 2024 Sundance Film Festival, now on its 5th day, continues to buzz with excitement in Park City and Salt Lake City. The iconic festival has once again transformed this ski town into a hotbed of cinematic activity.

We're seeing an electric mix of in-person and virtual screenings, boasting everything from edgy docs to bold narrative features. Let's dive into the first weekend's standout moments:

• 🎞 Streamlined Selection: With 91 features (down 18%), Sundance 2024, post-strike, keeps up with a high submission rate.

• 🤝 Complex Buyer Dynamics: This year's cautious buying (thanks to past overbidding woes) meets a hungry appetite for content among buyers who lack production slates.

• 📣 Protest on Main Street: Nearly 100 pro-Palestinian protestors, including actress Melissa Barrera, demonstrated on Main Street over the weekend.

• 🎥 Jesse Eisenberg’s Big Splash: Searchlight Pictures snapped up the global rights to Jesse Eisenberg-directed ‘A Real Pain’ for $10M. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, and is a dramedy about two contrasting cousins tracing their grandmother's Holocaust survival journey in Poland.

• 🎮 Netflix Bags 'Ibelin': This heartwarming documentary about Norwegian gamer Mats Steen, directed by Benjamin Ree, tugs at heartstrings, revealing a global online community in mourning.

• 🎹 'Kneecap' Hits a High Note: Sony Pictures Classics acquires Rich Peppiatt's musical biopic parody with Michael Fassbender. It's a genre-bending laugh riot with a dash of violence and rebellion.

• 👻 Soderbergh's 'Presence' Spooks: This ghostly thriller was so intense, audiences walked out! Its unique ghost POV and nail-biting narrative have everyone talking.

• 😂 'My Old Ass' Wins Hearts: Megan Park's comedy, led by Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella, earns a standing ovation for its quirky, coming-of-age story, featuring a Justin Bieber-approved musical sequence.

• 🔥 Kristen Stewart's 'Love Lies Bleeding': In Rose Glass's neo-noir, Stewart delivers a raw, violent performance, taking us on a hallucinatory journey through a gritty Americana.

Stay tuned for more as Sundance continues to unfold!

🎢🥊 Disney's Proxy War: Activist vs. Establishment: Nelson Peltz’s ambitious proxy war against Disney is heating up, but hitting road blocks. He's on a mission to "restore the magic," targeting the board for its closeness with CEO Bob Iger and alleged misalignment with shareholder interests. Despite a rebound in Disney's stock price to $92.21, challenges loom in the company's TV, streaming, and box office realms. Peltz, with a hefty $3B stake and support from ex-Disney CFO Jay Rasulo, is pushing for board seats to drive transformation. However, in a recent plot twist, ValueAct Capital and Blackwells Capital rally behind Disney, complicating Peltz's quest and underscoring broader investor dissatisfaction. With Disney standing firm against Peltz's proposals and doubling down on its current strategy, the activist investor's path to victory narrows in this high-stakes corporate saga.

🎥📊Hollywood’s Production Accountant Shortage: In the streaming era, production accountants have emerged as key players, vital for balancing the complex financial aspects of film and TV productions. The pandemic-driven streaming surge has significantly increased their demand, highlighting their role in managing the intricate financial webs of productions, balancing budgets, and navigating complex state tax credits. Yet, there's a 25% talent shortfall in this field post-pandemic. To bridge this gap, entities like the California Film Commission and industry giants such as Netflix and Warner Bros. are offering specialized training programs. These efforts are pivotal for the industry's adaptation to the digital age, where effective financial management is essential for the success of streaming content.

🎭🎬 SAG-AFTRA Clamps Down on Casting Fee Practice: SAG-AFTRA is cracking down on casting websites and apps charging actors fees for submitting to roles. The union's recent letter, backed by California and New York labor laws, emphasizes that performers must have free access to submit for commercial castings. This stance, reinforced during their 2023 contract negotiations with studios, also stipulates no preferential treatment for actors who pay fees. The initiative, aimed at promoting fairness in casting, is a significant step in supporting performers' rights.

Development 🗒️

• Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are set to star in Steven Soderbergh's new spy thriller 'Black Bag.' (more)

• Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator 2’ starring Paul Mescal wraps filming. (more)

• Gabriel LaBelle is cast as Lorne Michaels in Jason Reitman's 'SNL 1975' movie. (more)

• Warner Bros. Discovery's Max is advancing a 'Harry Potter' TV series with selected writers pitching their ideas. (more)

• Eiza González joins John Krasinski and Natalie Portman in Guy Ritchie’s 'Fountain of Youth.’ (more)

• Kerry Washington joins as an executive producer for the Sundance documentary 'Daughters.' (more)

• A George Clinton documentary is in the works by Allan Elliot, Christopher Harris, and Ishmael Reed. (more)

• A new ‘Fairly Odd Parents’ reboot it reportedly in the works at Netflix. (more)

• Kenya Barris reveals updates on high-profile projects: a 10-episode Richard Pryor biopic series, a reimagined 'Wizard of Oz' set in Inglewood, and an 'It’s a Wonderful Life' remake. (more)

• Sir Anthony Hopkins is penning an autobiography and his wife Stella is creating a documentary on his life. (more)

✅ Renewed & Canceled ❌

• ‘The Flight Attendant’ is cancelled at Max. (more)

Business 🤝

• Paramount Pictures extends its output deal with MGM+ through 2025, allowing for most of its theatrical movies to premiere first on Paramount+ before MGM+. (more)

• Paramount Global's stock rises following reports that Apollo Global Management is considering a bid for National Amusements, the controlling shareholder in Paramount. (more)

• Paramount Global is set for a new round of layoffs in February. (more)

Other News 🚨

• MGM Alternative partners with the Global Esports Federation to create content on the Global Esports Games, esports competitors, and gamer lifestyle. (more)

• Alec Baldwin faces new involuntary manslaughter charges in the 'Rust' shooting case after a fresh investigation contradicted his account of the incident. (more)

• HCA CEO Scott Menzel faces allegations of influence peddling in Critics Choice Awards voting, prompting the Critics Choice Association to demand members choose between HCA and CCA membership. (more)

• Unscripted TV, particularly docuseries, is booming but facing potential oversaturation, with production outstripping demand. (more)