🎬 The Experiment Begins

👋 Good morning! File this under news that will thrill a very specific type of person: the most profitable movie theater in North America isn't in Times Square or on Hollywood Boulevard… it's the AMC in Burbank. AMC Burbank 30 topped every theater on the continent in 2025, with the chain now holding seven of the top 10 highest-grossing locations. AMC credits premium formats, devoted A-Listers, and the enthusiasm of the Hollywood community. We credit the free parking.

Welcome back and hope the weekend was kind to you. The Golden Globes handed out statues last night, so if your Sunday evening was spent doing something more productive than watching celebrities thank their teams, we'll catch you up on everything that matters. Grab your coffee and let’s get into it. 👇

The bigger picture: The box office rang up $98.6M this weekend, down 25% from last week but up a healthy 20.4% compared to the same frame in 2025. Next weekend we’ve got Sony's ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ heading into theaters looking to dethrone ‘Avatar.’

The Golden Globes returned to the Beverly Hilton last night with Nikki Glaser hosting for the second year in a row. Her monologue roasted the usual suspects: Leo's dating life, Hollywood's aging A-listers, the state of the world. The big winners:

Looking ahead… The Globes don't clarify much in the Oscar race. 'One Battle After Another' continues its momentum, though its comedy classification means it never faced the drama heavyweights directly. 'Hamnet's' surprise win keeps Chloé Zhao in the conversation. And Taylor's upset over frontrunner Amy Madigan shakes up the Supporting Actress race. Oscar nomination voting opens this morning, with nominations announced January 22nd.

HEDDA Writer/Director/Producer Nia DaCosta sits down with filmmaker Ryan Coogler to discuss her first encounter with ‘Hedda Gabler,’ and how she reinvigorated the classic by exploring female agency, freedom, and power. WATCH HERE

Take an inside look at the making of HEDDA with Writer/Director/Producer Nia DaCosta, Actor/Producer Tessa Thompson, Costume Designer Lindsay Pugh, and Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir as they reimagine Henrik Ibsen’s classic play through a bold, modern lens for this moment. WATCH HERE

🏢 CAA just lost big against the agents who left to start Range Media Partners. Back in 2020, four high-powered CAA agents departed to help launch Range, a management company. CAA retaliated by canceling their equity and later accused them of stealing trade secrets. Now, an arbitration panel has ruled that CAA breached its contracts and owes the ex-agents potentially $70M, while rejecting all of CAA's counterclaims. CAA plans to appeal, but overturning arbitration rulings is notoriously difficult. A separate lawsuit heads toward trial later this year over the bigger question: is Range illegally operating as a talent agency while calling itself a management company? Agencies face strict rules like 10% commission caps and bans on producer fees. Management companies don't. If Range wins there too, it would mean ex-agents can rebrand as "managers" to escape agency regulations entirely.

💰 SAG wants to make AI too expensive to bother with. SAG-AFTRA is heading into contract negotiations with studios on February 9 with a new AI strategy: make AI-generated performers cost as much as real actors. Chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland laid out the thinking at CES last week, arguing that if there's no cost savings, studios will choose humans every time. The approach builds on recent wins in the union's commercials and record label contracts, where they secured financial penalties for AI usage, including a requirement that employers pay 1.5x session fees when using AI performers. It's a pragmatic pivot that acknowledges AI isn't going away while attempting to remove the financial incentive to replace real actors with fake ones.

🎙️ Netflix officially entered the podcast game last night. The streamer launched its first live podcast with sportscaster Bill Simmons following the NFL playoff matchup between the Chargers and Patriots, marking the beginning of a broader push into the format. Over the coming months, Netflix will roll out dozens of podcasts including 'Pardon My Take,' 'My Favorite Murder,' and 'The Breakfast Club.' The podcast industry is watching closely, hoping Netflix becomes a major new buyer, though the company has been conservative with spending so far. Netflix reportedly passed on 'Call Her Daddy's' $20M+ asking price and is paying Barstool around $10M annually. But Netflix is known for scaling up quickly once tests prove successful.