🎬 The Cost of Best Picture 💸

👋 Good morning! Bong Joon Ho could have chased Hollywood's biggest franchises, but when asked what franchise might tempt him, Bong revealed his dream project would be... an ‘Alien’ musical. Yes, you read that right. Forget xenomorphs bursting from chests—imagine them bursting into song! His actual new film ‘Mickey 17’ hits theaters today.

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:

• SXSW Kicks Off

• Franchise Fever Hits Unscripted

• ‘Anora’s’ $18M Oscar Strategy

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• 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…

WIDESHOT
🎬 SXSW, Monopoly, and ‘Anora’…

🎬🌵 SXSW kicks off today. After years of overlapping with the Oscars, this 32nd edition claims the spotlight all to itself. The festival transforms Austin into cinema central through March 14, featuring 82 world premieres spanning big-budget sequels, indie darlings, and boundary-pushing docs. Here are some of the most buzzed-about projects:

• 'The Studio' (Opening Night TV Premiere) —Seth Rogen leads Apple's Hollywood satire with Catherine O'Hara and Kathryn Hahn about a studio exec navigating industry politics.

• 'Another Simple Favor' (Opening Night Film Premiere)—Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick reunite in Paul Feig's stylish sequel set in Italy.

• 'Death of a Unicorn'—Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega headline A24’s dark comedy where they face consequences after killing a mythical creature.

• 'Holland'—Nicole Kidman and Matthew Macfadyen star in this suburban mystery set in small-town Michigan.

• 'The Rivals of Amziah King'—Matthew McConaughey plays an Oklahoma honey farmer in this anticipated follow-up from ‘The Vast of Night’ director.

• See the full lineup here. 👈👀

🎲🎬 Hollywood’s IP obsession has now fully infiltrated the unscripted world. Networks and streamers are in a heated bidding war over Hasbro's upcoming ‘Monopoly’ competition series, where contestants will "battle for fortune and navigate the fine line between capitalism and chaos." The IP-to-reality pipeline is expanding rapidly: Netflix is already coming back for seconds with ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ and has an unscripted ‘Willy Wonka’ project in the works. The trend continues with Fox's competition show ‘Lego Masters,’ CBS's unscripted adaptation of ‘Buddy Games,’ and Peacock's game show series based on ‘Frogger.’ Sony's recent acquisition of Hasbro’s ‘Clue’ rights points to even more adaptations ahead. The familiar strategy of recycling familiar IP we used to only see with scripted content is now reality TV's playbook too.

💰🏆 Best Picture comes with an $18M price tag. Neon CEO Tom Quinn revealed they spent three times ‘Anora's’ modest $6M production budget on its Oscar campaign—approximately $18M—to secure this year's Best Picture win. While most studios have gone digital, Neon doubled down on old-school tactics, shipping physical DVD screeners to Academy voters and creating buzzy unconventional moments like a pop-up merch sale from a tow truck. Quinn's reasoning: These moments help "position the film" and signal to voters that "we absolutely care." This isn't Neon's first rodeo—they previously shelled out $20M to propel ‘Parasite’ to Oscar glory. Quinn noted they spotted ‘Anora’ as an awards contender immediately after its Cannes premiere, strategically targeting six Oscar nominations based on test screening scores comparable to previous Palm d'Or winners. The campaign was a "big bet," but the strategy delivered exactly what they wanted: five Oscar wins from six nominations.

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LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Cynthia Erivo joins Lionsgate’s action thriller ‘Karoshi,’ a corporate thriller with a samurai twist, alongside Teo Yoo and Isabel May. (more)

• Matthew Modine joins the next ‘Monsterverse’ movie at Legendary, starring alongside Dan Stevens and Kaitlyn Dever. (more)

• John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein will write Lionsgate and LuckyChap’s ‘Monopoly’ movie, based on the classic board game. (more)

• ‘Wolfs’ breakout Austin Abrams will star in 20th Century’s ‘Whalefall,’ a survival thriller directed by Brian Duffield. (more)

• Miramax acquires Brandon Cohen’s spec ‘I Can See You’re Angry,’ an R-rated comedy produced by BoulderLight Pictures. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Rick Hoffman reprises his role as Louis Litt in ‘Suits LA,’ appearing in one episode with potential for more. (more)

• Sam Worthington will star in Netflix’s ‘I Will Find You,’ a limited series based on Harlan Coben’s bestselling novel. (more)

• ‘Power’ creator Courtney A. Kemp lands ‘Nemesis,’ a new crime drama at Netflix starring Matthew Law and Y’Ian Noel. (more)

• Clémence Poésy joins Apple TV+’s ‘Neuromancer‘ alongside Callum Turner, Briana Middleton, and Mark Strong. (more)

• Apple TV+’s comedy ‘Brothers’ casts five actors as the children of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. (more)

• Keegan-Michael Key joins ‘Only Murders in the Building’ S5 in a recurring role. (more)

• Amazon orders ‘Bloodaxe,’ a Norse drama from ‘Vikings’ creator Michael Hirst, centered on Viking warrior Erik Bloodaxe. (more)

• Netflix sets its second live boxing event for July 11, featuring the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano trilogy at Madison Square Garden. (more)

Renewed & Canceled ✅ ❌

• ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ is renewed for S4. (more)

• Netflix renews Kate Hudson-led ‘Running Point’ for S2. (more)

• ‘The Recruit’ is cancelled after S2 at Netflix. (more)

• ‘S.W.A.T.’ is cancelled at CBS after S8. (more)

Business 🤝

• Mediawan acquires a 51% stake in See-Saw Films. (more)

• Lee Daniels extends his partnership with 20th Television under a multi-year first-look deal. (more)

• Netflix stock dropped ($NFLX ( ▼ 0.95% )) after analysts warned that the subscriber boost from its password-sharing crackdown may be slowing down. (more)

• Jamie Foxx signs a first-look TV deal with Fox to develop scripted and unscripted projects. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Walt Disney Animation Studios production workers have ratified their first union contract, securing wage increases and benefits. (more)

• The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sept. 14, 2025. (more)

RELEASE RADAR
📅 What to watch this weekend?

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Mickey 17: Sci-fi dark comedy from Bong Joon-ho starring Robert Pattinson.

• In the Lost Lands: Epic fantasy adventure based on George R.R. Martin's story, starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista.

• Night of the Zoopocalypse: Animated comedy horror featuring the voices of David Harbour and Gabbi Kosmidis.

• Queen of the Ring: Biographical sports drama starring Emily Bett Rickards as female wrestler Mildred Burke, with Josh Lucas and Walton Goggins.

📺 STREAMING

• CHAOS: The Manson Murders: (Netflix) Provocative documentary reexamining the infamous Manson Family murders.

• Daredevil: Born Again: (Disney+) Marvel series starring Charlie Cox.

• Deli Boys: (Hulu) Comedy series about Pakistani American brothers who discover their late father's criminal enterprise.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

March remains a box office desert with all eyes on ‘Mickey 17's’ ability to break through. Warner Bros. is banking on auteur appeal and premium formats to drive turnout, but the film needs at least $240-300M globally to break even. The $118M production (after UK tax credits) represents WB's commitment to luring prestigious filmmakers back to the Burbank lot post-Nolan.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

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MARTINI SHOT
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