🎬 Dipping Out ✌️

👋 Good morning! Christopher Nolan's ‘Interstellar’ is gearing up for a 10th-anniversary re-release—but not without some behind-the-scenes drama: Rumors have circulated that Paramount allegedly destroyed all the original IMAX 70mm prints of ‘Interstellar’ that were returned after the 2014 release. Allegedly the lone survivors were prints stashed away by theaters with enough space to store these massive reels. Plot twist—Paramount suddenly shifted the re-release from September to December.

Paramount has since cleared the air, confirming that multiple copies are safely archived, though some reels might show signs of wear after their previous runs. The re-release will feature both standard digital prints and the grand IMAX 70mm format.

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:

• Amazon Goes Full Hollywood, Apple Pivots

• TikTok’s Hollywood Hype Machine

• Cable TV’s Crunch

• 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

🎬🍿 Amazon's going full Hollywood, while Apple’s dipping out. Amazon MGM is plotting to crank out 16 theatrical releases a year by 2027—more than doubling their cinematic output. Why? Because Jeff Bezos wants Amazon to be a bona fide media powerhouse, not just your go-to for free shipping. They're already throwing billions at live sports, and now they're eyeing box office glory. Ex-Netflix boss Scott Stuber's on board, bringing some serious streaming street cred. With a diverse slate from blockbusters to docs, Amazon's gunning for market share across all genres. Meanwhile, Apple's doing the opposite—this week, they switched George Clooney and Brad Pitt's ‘Wolfs’ from wide to limited theatrical release, signaling a potential retreat from big-screen ambitions. With Amazon zigging while Apple zags, we're watching a real-time experiment in how tech giants can best conquer Hollywood.

🎬📲 TikTok is making a play for Hollywood’s marketing dollars with its new tool, TikTok Spotlight. It’s a Swiss Army knife for Hollywood marketers that aims to bridge the gap between viral content and studio marketing strategies. Here are some key features:

• Content Aggregation: Identifies and collects TikTok videos related to specific titles

• Landing Pages: Creates dedicated pages with film details, official accounts, and user content

• Analytics Dashboard: Offers insights on fandom engagement and content performance

• Trend Tracking: Monitors conversations and emerging trends in real-time

• Creator Collaboration: Helps identify and incentivize relevant content creators

• Copyright Management: Allows studios to protect IP or offer cooperation on user content

• Direct Actions: Enables ticket purchases or streaming directly from TikTok

Early adopter Warner Bros. reported increased ticket sales and social buzz for ‘Dune: Part Two’ using Spotlight. TikTok's goal is clear: become an indispensable part of entertainment marketing strategies. While it's too early to call Spotlight a game-changer, it's a significant move to formalize TikTok's role in the industry.

📊📉 In a week of brutal earnings calls, Fox and now Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global are all singing the same tune: cable TV is tanking. WBD kicked things off by writing down its TV networks by a staggering $9.1B, leading to a $10B Q2 loss. Not to be outdone, Paramount followed suit, slashing its cable channels' value by $6B. These "write-downs" are corporate-speak for "Oops, our cable stuff isn't worth nearly what we thought" (Think of it as a financial reset button that adjusts asset values to reflect market realities—painful now, but potentially helpful for future earnings and strategy). The culprits? Accelerating cord-cutting, weak ad markets, and for WBD, losing those sweet NBA rights. While streaming subscribers are generally up, those divisions are still mostly money pits. Paramount+ did manage to eke out its first-ever operating profit, but even that comes with an asterisk. For film and TV pros, the message is clear: traditional TV is on life support.

‘Mayor of Kingstown’ is the show everyone is talking about—don’t be the last to know.

From the brilliant and fearless Taylor Sheridan, this relentless thriller grabs you from the first scene and never lets go. Set in a brutal prison town, Jeremy Renner delivers his most powerful performance yet.

Stream all episodes now exclusively on Paramount+. Try it FREE!

Development 🗒️

• Josh Duhamel and Lukas Gage will star in the darkly comedic crime thriller ‘Full Throttle Mindset’ from director Patrick Brice and XYZ Films. (more)

• Kino Lorber acquires North American rights to Paul Schrader’s drama ‘Oh, Canada,’ starring Richard Gere. (more)

• ‘The Smashing Machine,’ Dwayne Johnson’s MMA fighter biopic, secures multiple international deals for A24 as production wraps in Japan. (more)

• Vertical acquires North American and UK/IRE rights to the comedic thriller ‘I Don’t Understand You,’ starring Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, and Amanda Seyfried. (more)

• Michelle Pfeiffer will lead and executive produce ‘The Madison,’ a new sequel series in the ‘Yellowstone’ universe from creator Taylor Sheridan. (more)

Business 🤝

• Disney’s streaming bundle turned a profit for the first time in Q3, beating analyst expectations. (more)

• Sony decides not to submit a counter bid for Paramount Global following its merger with Skydance Media. (more)

• Netflix is lowering its ad prices to between $20 and $30 CPM, down from the original $65 CPM. (more)

• Roku Sports Channel launches Monday with MLB Sunday Leadoff, a ‘Good Morning Football’ reboot, and various live sports and original content. (more)

• Paramount Global secured over $1B in digital upfront ad commitments, highlighting strong performance across its streaming portfolio. (more)

• Paramount is cutting 15% of its U.S. workforce as part of a $500M cost-saving plan to achieve sustained profitability in streaming by 2025. (more)

• Sony Pictures Entertainment’s first-quarter profit dropped to $73M, a 36% decline year-on-year. (more)

• Endeavor is selling its sports betting assets, OpenBet and IMG Arena, as it prepares for Silver Lake’s acquisition and transition to a private company. (more)

What to watch this weekend? 👀

🎥 THEATRICAL

• It Ends With Us: Romance drama starring Blake Lively, directed by Justin Baldoni and based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel.

• Borderlands: Sci-fi action comedy based on the video game, starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart. Warning—6% on Rotten Tomatoes.

• Cuckoo: Horror-thriller from director Tilman Singer starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens.

📺 STREAMING

• The Instigators: (Apple TV+) Heist comedy starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck from Doug Liman.

• The Umbrella Academy: (Netflix) The final season of the popular super hero TV series.

• One Fast Move: (Prime Video) KJ Apa and Eric Dane star in this action film from Kelly Blatz.

• Mr. Throwback: (Peacock) A mockumentary comedy featuring Stephen Curry and Adam Pally

• Industry: (HBO) S3 of the intense drama series where young finance grads battle for survival at a top London investment bank

• Dance Moms: A New Era: (Hulu) ‘Dance Moms’ reboot.

• At Witt’s End: The Hunt for a Killer: (Hulu) Doc following new leads in the unsolved case of Melissa Witt.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

It’s date night at the box office for the Reynolds-Lively household this weekend: Ryan Reynolds' ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is expected to take the top spot for the third week in a row with $50-60M, while Blake Lively's ‘It Ends With Us’ is poised for a solid $23M debut. ‘Deadpool’ is cruising towards a historic $1B global haul, likely to hit that milestone by Sunday. It would be only the second R-rated film ever to hit this mark (after ‘Joker’).

Meanwhile, ‘Borderlands’ is looking like a $10-15M misfire. If these predictions hold, Reynolds and Lively will be the first married couple to claim the top two box office spots since Bruce Willis and Demi Moore back in 1990.