🎬 What You Need to Know

👋 Good morning. Here’s how you know Chris Nolan’s reached a new level of box office clout: IMAX 70mm tickets of ‘The Odyssey’ are expected to go on sale tomorrow… a year before the film opens. The industry has never seen advance ticket sales this early, especially for a film whose teaser trailer hasn’t even been released online yet. Other formats are expected to go on sale much closer to the July 2026 release, but exhibitors are clearly betting on massive audience appetite for this one.

Welcome to The Dailies. Coffee in hand? Let's get you up to speed on this week's Hollywood happenings.

CLOSEUP
📺 2025 Emmy nominations are here…

Emmy nominations were announced yesterday, delivering some major surprises and record-breaking moments. Here are some highlights and takeaways:

• 🍎 Apple’s no longer the underdog: Apple TV+ pulled in 79 nominations total. 'Severance' dominated with 27 noms (the most of any show) while 'The Studio' grabbed 23, tying the all-time comedy record. Harrison Ford even scored his first Emmy nom at age 83 for ‘Shrinking.’

• 👨‍💻 Streaming platforms lead: HBO/Max and Netflix alone snagged 262 nominations. Add Apple's 79, and three streamers are basically running the show. Meanwhile, traditional broadcast networks saw smaller nomination counts.

• 📺 YouTube fails to break through: Despite YouTube hosting FYC events for creator shows like ‘Good Mythical Morning,’ the platform failed to break through with nominations this year.

• 🎙️ Talk shows got squeezed: Outstanding Talk Series shrunk to just three nominees: ‘The Daily Show,’ Kimmel, and Colbert. ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ got the boot—another sign traditional late-night is struggling.

• 😮 Surprises and snubs: Martin Scorsese got nominated for guest acting in ‘The Studio.’ Meanwhile, ‘Squid Game’ S2 got completely shut out, and major names like Diego Luna (‘Andor’) were blanked.

Network scorecard…

• HBO/Max: 142 (‘The Penguin’: 24, ‘The White Lotus’: 23)

• Disney total: 137 (across ABC, FX, Hulu, Disney+, etc.)

• Netflix: 120 (‘Adolescence’: 13, ‘Monsters’: 11)

• Apple TV+: 79 (beat most traditional networks)

• Prime Video: 12 (rough showing this year)

Check out the full list of nominations here. 👈👀

Looking ahead… The 77th Emmy Awards air Sept. 14 on CBS with comedian Nate Bargatze hosting.

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Kick back and relax with Cornbread’s premium, legal, THC products…

Cornbread Hemp crafts all-natural THC-infused products that address the full scope of Americans’ wellness needs: relief when they need it, relaxation when they crave it, and revelry when the moment is right. Speaking of revelry, their newest product, THC Seltzers are the perfect low-calorie, fast-acting, and guilt-free way to laugh louder, dance longer, and savor good company. They're perfect for parties or porch hangs—a feel-good celebration to be shared.  Looking for products you can consume discreetly? Try their fan-favorite gummies.

New customers can save 25% on their first order with code WELL25.

WIDESHOT
🎬 South Park, ABC, and private cinema…

🚫A $3B contract dispute is holding ‘South Park’ hostage. ‘South Park’ creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone believe they had a handshake deal with Paramount for a massive 10-year overall deal worth $3B, but incoming owner Skydance is exercising veto power over the arrangement during the merger approval process. The dispute has already caused the show to vanish from international Paramount+ streaming, delayed the new season premiere, and prompted furious fans to cancel subscriptions while trading tips on Reddit for workarounds. Parker and Stone have hired aggressive litigator Bryan Freedman to fight back. At the heart of the conflict: Skydance wants to slash the deal from 10 years to 5 amid concerns about cash reserves, while Parker and Stone maintain they had a legitimate agreement that's being improperly interfered with.

📰 Disney+ is getting its first original daily news show. 'What You Need to Know' debuts July 21st with anchors James Longman and Rachel Scott delivering a fast-paced morning briefing at 6 a.m. ET. The show will mix breaking news, entertainment buzz, and viral videos in bite-sized segments, with each episode vanishing after 24 hours, replaced by the next day's show. This isn't the usual repurposed linear content dumped onto Disney+ alongside existing ABC programs like 'Good Morning America.' Instead, it's purpose-built streaming-first content that shows ABC is getting serious about platform-first strategy as traditional cable hemorrhages younger viewers. It’s smart strategy for Disney+ too, creating that coveted daily habit that keeps subscribers hooked and coming back.

📽️ Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League is taking movie nights private. League's new venture, Metro Private Cinema, opens in NYC's Chelsea this fall with 20 theaters seating 4-20 people each, complete with gourmet meals, dedicated attendants, and curated film selections. A four-person room runs $200 for four hours, plus $100 per person for food—and since screenings are private, audiences can talk, text, or even belt out show tunes without getting the stink eye (cinema purists everywhere just felt a disturbance in the force). It’s just one example in the industry’s broader effort to revitalize the movie-going experience in the era of streaming. While some chains are building entertainment hubs with restaurants, pickleball courts, and bowling alleys, League's betting on his vision of ultra-intimate luxury that transforms movie nights into exclusive experiences you'd host for your closest friends.

ICYMI
Quick hits…

🪓 Blumhouse laid off six staffers across film, television and casting last week, including junior-level executives and support staff. The cuts come two weeks after ‘M3GAN 2.0’ flopped at the box office, though none of the fired employees actually worked on the film.

🤖 Comcast and CAA invested in AI video start-up Moonvalley as part of an $84M funding round, with the company claiming to develop "ethical" AI trained exclusively on licensed content. The company says it wants to "empower artists, not undermine them."

🌄 Sundance Film Festival announced the dates for its final run in Utah before relocating to Boulder, Colorado in 2027. The 2026 festival will run from Jan. 22 to Feb. 1, marking the end of a 48-year love affair with Park City.

🗳️ L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to streamline local filming processes and explore an $80-100M fund for film technology startups. The move aims to cut red tape, speed up permit approvals, and potentially waive filming fees at county locations for a year.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Andrew Garfield will star in Luca Guadagnino’s AI-themed comedy-drama ‘Artificial’ at Amazon MGM, joined by Cooper Koch and Yura Borisov. (more)

• ‘Alpha Gang’ adds Chris Pine, Lily-Rose Depp, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Doona Bae to its cast as the Zellner Brothers’ alien comedy wraps production. (more)

• Legendary has cast Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim in its live-action ‘Street Fighter’ movie. (more)

• Amazon MGM and Hasbro are developing a live-action ‘My Little Pony’ movie, the franchise’s first non-animated feature. (more)

• BoulderLight Pictures and Divide/Conquer are teaming on a new ‘Amityville’ movie, with ‘Deadstream’ duo Joseph and Vanessa Winter set to direct. (more)

• Ariana Grande and Josh Gad will voice characters in ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’, Warner Bros.’ animated take on the Dr. Seuss classic. (more)

• Eva Longoria will direct and produce ‘Anita de Monte Laughs Last’ for Searchlight Pictures, adapting Xochitl Gonzalez’s bestselling novel. (more)

• Harris Dickinson’s ‘Urchin’ (winner of Cannes’ Best Performance prize) has been acquired by 1-2 Special for North American release this fall. (more)

• David Mikalson lands an A24 deal to direct ‘The Goblin,’ his viral buddy comedy script likened to ‘Ted’ meets ‘E.T.’ (more)

• Aaron Taylor-Johnson will star in Robert Eggers’ ‘Werwulf,’ with Lily-Rose Depp in talks to join the ‘Nosferatu’ reunion. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Jack Henry Robbins is developing the Hulu comedy series ‘Nepo Baby,’ based on his viral character and infamous family ties. (more)

• Made Up Stories is adapting ‘The Soulmate,’ Sally Hepworth’s thriller novel, into a TV series with Imogen Banks and Asher Keddie. (more)

Business 🤝

• Kathleen Remington is exiting CAA to launch a new literary management company after 20+ years as a top screenwriter agent. (more)

• NBCUniversal wrapped its 2025-26 upfronts with record ad volume, driven by live sports like the Olympics, Super Bowl, and FIFA World Cup. (more)

• Dakota Johnson & Ro Donnelly have signed a first-look TV deal with Sony Pictures Television for their banner, TeaTime Pictures. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Nielsen’s monthly Gauge report showed broadcast TV fell below a 20% share of total TV viewing time for the first time ever. (more)

• The Senate advanced Trump-backed legislation to rescind $1.1B in PBS, NPR, and public media funding. (more)

• What do 4M Americans know that you don’t? Find out with 1440—your shortcut to staying informed. (more)*

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Find out why 1M+ professionals read Superhuman AI daily

AI won't take over the world. People who know how to use AI will. Join 1M+ top performers learning AI tools & skills in just 3 minutes a day. Sign up now!

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments