🎬 The Clooney Plan

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Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or a new arrival, we're thrilled to have you here. Twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, we'll deliver the most important industry scoops directly to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Closeup: The Clooney Plan

• Apple Dives Into Theatrical Releases

• Jon Stewart Cancelled at Apple

• Halloween Costume Chaos

• 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 🎟️

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour 🎤🎶 Opened as top concert film at $92.8M; dropped -67% in its 2nd week but remained #1.

Killers of the Flower Moon 🌺🌙 Debuted with $23M, which is close to Scorsese's entire domestic gross for his previous movie. Overseas, it made $21M.

The Exorcist: Believer 👹🙏 3rd week: dropped -49% to $5.6M. Global tally: $107.5M.

Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie 🐾🎥 4th week: declined -35% to $4.4M, surpassing its 2021 predecessor globally.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (30th anniversary) 🎃🎄 Re-release nabbed $4.1M, almost equaling ‘Hocus Pocus’s’ 30th-anniversary total.

Saw X 🪚🩸 4th week: saw a -37% decrease to $3.5M, but runs ahead of some past ‘Saw’ films.

The Clooney Plan
And the Latest on the SAG Strike

The SAG-AFTRA strike has recently crossed the 100-day mark, and the industry has been abuzz about a unique proposition from George Clooney and other Hollywood A-listers. So what exactly is this so-called ‘Clooney Plan,’ and is it the solution the industry has been waiting for? Let’s take a look:

Clooney and some of his contemporaries (Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, and Tyler Perry to name a few), proposed a plan pledging $150M over three years in hopes of bridging the financial rift between the union and major studios.

• Dues Increase: Right now, SAG members pay a year base due with an additional amount depending on their earnings, capped at $1M. The Clooney-led proposal suggests doing away with this cap, meaning more earnings would be subjected to the additional payment. Clooney speculates this could rake in an extra $50M annually for the union (hence the $150M pledge over three years).

• ‘Bottom-Up’ Residuals: This part of the proposal means that when shows or movies make extra money after their initial release, the lowest-earning actors would get their share first. The hope is that getting money faster would help more struggling actors qualify for benefits.

Drescher Responds

Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA president, addressed this proposal on Instagram, expressing gratitude for the “extremely generous” offer. However, she shed light on the legal intricacies, explaining that the offer won’t actually solve the main issue the union is striking over. Since SAG is a federally regulated labor union, they can only accept funds for their pension and health directly from employers.

While the proposal is super sweet, it’s also, in Drescher’s words, “kind of apples and oranges.”

Then there’s the whole thing about lesser-known talents getting their share before the big shots. Again, lovely thought, but legally, it’s tricky. The union’s legal team did a deep dive and found that the proposal doesn’t really stand on solid ground.

It seems like the union believes in sticking together and keeping pressure on the studios to get a fair deal. Drescher said that the union is waiting for CEOs to get back to the negotiating table, and that real talks mean neither side can simply just walk away.

officialfrandrescher

View more on Instagram

Back to Negotiating

On Saturday, a few days after Drescher posted her Instagram video, a beacon of hope emerged when SAG announced that the studio executives approached the union to reinitiate negotiations.

The official announcement came via a concise joint statement from both SAG and the AMPTP.

The negotiations are set to restart tomorrow, Oct. 24, and high-profile executive leaders, potentially including Bob Iger, David Zaslav, Ted Sarandos, and Donna Langley, are expected to be present.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix CEO, radiated positivity regarding the upcoming talks. He emphasized the severe repercussions of the strike on families and the economy, both on a national scale and specifically in California. Sarandos expressed a strong commitment to resolving the issue, saying, “we are trying very hard to get this done."

Apple Dives Into Theatrical Releases with Scorsese’s Epic 🍏🎬 Apple Studios, typically a streaming-first player, is making waves with its first major theatrical release – Martin Scorsese’s epic, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Teaming up with Paramount Pictures, this $200 million production is hitting over 3,600 theaters, and won't stream on Apple TV+ for at least 45 days. This move represents a significant shift for Apple, with Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ and the spy thriller ‘Argylle’ also set for big-screen releases in collaboration with other major studios. While the tech giant's willingness to collaborate has surprised some, it showcases Apple’s commitment to cinema, emphasizing that big-screen magic isn't lost amid the streaming boom.

Jon Stewart's Apple TV Show Canceled Over AI & China Topics? 📺🍎 When Apple TV Plus scored Jon Stewart for ‘The Problem With Jon Stewart’ post his ‘Daily Show’ era, it was a pretty big deal. But now, after two seasons, the partnership's unraveling, and not because of low ratings or drama on set. Instead, it seems Apple's a tad skittish about Stewart's plans to cover artificial intelligence and China. While Apple wanted Jon and his team to echo the company's stance on certain topics, he wasn’t having it. So, what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? The show gets the boot, apparently. 🤖🇨🇳👋

Halloween Costume Chaos Amid Actor Strike 🎭🎃 Hollywood's on-strike actors have received guidelines from their union, SAG-AFTRA, advising them not to wear costumes of characters from major studio productions this Halloween. The intent? To ensure actors don't unintentionally promote work from studios they're currently striking against. However, the rule has spooked many, including big names like Ryan Reynolds, Mandy Moore, and former union leader Melissa Gilbert, who've publicly ridiculed the guidance. While the union stands firm, asserting it’s to prevent promotion of struck work, many find it absurd.

Development 🗒️

• Paramount Global cancels the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards in Paris citing Israel-Gaza crisis. (more)

• ‘Gen V’ is renewed for S2 at Amazon. (more)

• NBC orders medical drama 'Dr. Wolf' starring Zachary Quinto, inspired by neurologist Oliver Sacks' works. (more)

• Jay Oliva is set to direct ‘The White Tower,’ an animated film based on Robert Jordan's ‘The Wheel Of Time’ series. (more)

• The Broadway hit ‘Waitress: The Musical’ is coming to movie theaters Dec. 7. (more)

• Amazon MGM Studios acquired ‘American Criminal’ with Gavin O'Connor potentially directing the heist film. (more)

• Raj, DK, and Sita Menon are developing a superhero film for Marvel, with character details pending. (more)

• Jaume Collet-Serra is set to direct 'Kate Warne' for Amazon MGM & Seven Bucks, with Emily Blunt potentially starring and producing. (more)

• Netflix's 'Senna' series expands its cast and is filming in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and the UK. (more)

• James McAvoy is directing his first film about two Scottish guys who tricked the music world by posing as Californian rappers. (more)

• ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ brings on John Shiban, known for "Ozark" and "The X-Files," as its fifth showrunner for the fourth season. (more)

Releases 📅

• After high ratings for S1, 'Yellowstone' S2 is set to air on CBS on Oct. 29. (more)

• ‘Deadpool 3’ release is delayed due to the ongoing SAG strike, and Disney might replace its May 3 slot with ‘Captain America: Brave New World.’ (more)

Business 🤝

• Netflix's Q3 earnings impressed with a surge in new subscribers and stock price. (more)

• J.B. Smoove and his newly-launched production company, Alternate Side Productions, have inked a representation deal with CAA. (more)

Other News 🚨

• ‘Suits’ reclaimed its status as no. 1 on Nielsen streaming charts after being bumped to second last week by ‘Virgin River.’ (more)

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Watching Killers of the Flower Moon with a Taylor Swift screening in next room… (🔊 sound on 🔊)