🎬 Zillennial Nostalgia

👋 Good morning! Clint Eastwood just gave Hollywood a failing grade in originality. The 95-year-old legend told an Austrian newspaper he "longs for the good old days when screenwriters wrote movies like ‘Casablanca’ in small bungalows," and is tired of living in an "era of remakes and franchises." Eastwood advised fellow filmmakers: "do something new or stay at home." Peak Eastwood energy: still making everyone else look soft at 95.

Welcome to The Dailies. A new week is upon us. Grab your coffee, and we’ll get you caught up on the latest in Hollywood. First things first: let's look at what happened at the box office. 👇

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
🎟️ ‘Karate Kid's’ box office kata is rusty…

1. 🏝️ Lilo & Stitch: (Wk 2) $63M domestic weekend (-57%), $280.1M domestic total, $610.8M global. Disney's live-action remake holds the top spot.

2. 🕴️ Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: (Wk 2) $27.3M domestic weekend (-57%), $122.6M domestic total, $353.8M global. Tom Cruise's likely franchise finale maintains strong holds globally, though China's $25.2M debut suggests no bailout from the Middle Kingdom this time.

3. 🥋 Karate Kid: Legends: 🆕 $21M domestic opening, $47M global debut. Sony's attempt to wax-on the nostalgia factor stumbled with an underwhelming launch despite an A- CinemaScore and 4.5/5 PostTrak score.

4. 💀 Final Destination: Bloodlines: (Wk 3) $10.8M domestic weekend (-44%), $111.7M domestic total, $229.3M global.

5. 👻 Bring Her Back: 🆕 $7.1M domestic opening. A24's latest supernatural horror from the Philippou brothers (Talk to Me) debuts with strong reviews (90% RT) but a shockingly high B+ CinemaScore for such grim material.

6. 🧛‍♂️ Sinners: (Wk 7) $5.2M domestic weekend (-39%), $267M domestic total, $350M global. Ryan Coogler's original vampire thriller continues its remarkable run, inching closer to $300M domestic—a mythical number for non-franchise originals these days.

7. 🦸‍♂️ Thunderbolts*: (Wk 5) $4.8M domestic weekend (-50%), $181.9M domestic total.

8. 👬 Friendship: (Wk 4) $2.6M domestic weekend (-51%), $12.4M domestic total. A24's indie comedy holds steady.

9. 🤠 The Last Rodeo: (Wk 2) $2.1M domestic weekend (-60%), $10.8M domestic total. Angel Studios' faith-based offering continues to find its niche audience.

10. 🎤 J-Hope Tour 'Hope on the Stage' in JAPAN: 🆕 $939K domestic opening. The BTS member's concert film lands in limited release.

The Big Picture: Hollywood delivered a solid $149.2M weekend (+55.6% vs. last year), with ‘Lilo & Stitch's’ $610M global haul completely flipping the narrative around Disney's live-action remakes. ‘Snow White's’ bomb had everyone writing Disney's remake obituary just weeks ago, but ‘Lilo & Stitch’ proves there's still gold in them thar hills when you pick the right properties. Meanwhile, ‘Karate Kid: Legends'‘ underwhelming $21M debut shows that ‘Cobra Kai's’ Netflix popularity doesn't automatically translate to theatrical success.

CLOSEUP
🎬 Netflix got 9500 people to pay to watch trailers…

Netflix's Tudum event drew fans to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles over the weekend where they paid $25-$75 each for a packed 2-hour show featuring exclusive trailers, star appearances, a performance by Lady Gaga, and sneak peeks of series like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Wednesday.’

Think of it as Netflix's version of Disney's D23—the biennial Anaheim fan convention where Disney unites its sprawling empire (princesses, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars) to cultivate brand loyalty. But instead of Mickey Mouse and lightsabers, Netflix is betting that mixing 'Wednesday' fans with WWE viewers under one roof can create the same magic.

The event is Netflix's latest answer to its biggest problem: How do you keep 301M subscribers from hitting "cancel"? Netflix’s FOMO formula:

• Make marketing feel like content: By livestreaming Tudum exclusively on Netflix (not YouTube), the platform turned promotional material into appointment viewing

• Create "cancellation guilt": When you've attended ‘Bridgerton’ balls, bought ‘Stranger Things’ merch, and made friends at fan events, unsubscribing feels like leaving a community, not just losing TV shows

• Cross-pollinate fandoms: Put WWE fans next to ‘Wednesday’ stans next to ‘Knives Out’ enthusiasts. Result? A 21-year-old who came for ‘Squid Game’ left wanting to binge ‘Stranger Things’

The broader trend: Netflix's 2023 São Paulo Tudum drew 35,000 attendees and generated 78M social media views—essentially turning fans into a free marketing army. Compare that to a traditional ad campaign's cost-per-impression, and these events start looking like genius-level ROI.

The bigger picture: Of course it’s promotion. But Netflix is trying to cultivate something bigger: genuine brand fandom like Disney has with Mickey Mouse and Marvel. Here’s the challenge: Netflix built its empire on variety, not beloved characters. Can a platform with "something for everyone" create the same passionate loyalty as iconic IP? Tudum suggests they're betting yes.

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

THE AGENCY stars Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Richard Gere in what Newsday calls “One of the Best TV Shows of the Year.” With no shortage of suspense, action and drama, this high-stakes espionage thriller examines the human cost of putting your whole identity on the line for your country and your career. Vulture says “Spy thrillers don’t get much better than this.” Emmy eligible in all categories, including Outstanding Drama Series.

Now streaming on Paramount Plus.

WIDESHOT
🎬 A24, Zillenials, and Marvel…

🎮 The arthouse distributor that’s never made a sequel is… betting big on making sequels. A24 announced that ‘Civil War’ director Alex Garland will adapt the fantasy RPG ‘Elden Ring,’ joining another gaming project, ‘Death Stranding,’ in development. It’s a major shift for the prestige film company, which shared ambitions last year to go more mainstream for bigger releases after hits like ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ The move comes as gaming adaptations dominate the box office: Universal's ‘Super Mario Bros.’ hit $1B, while April's ‘A Minecraft Movie’ is gunning for the same milestone. For A24, which has never released a sequel despite a $3.5B valuation, gaming franchises represent their best shot at building the repeatable content that Hollywood demands.

🎬 Disney just discovered that Zillennial nostalgia is worth $600M and counting. ‘Lilo & Stitch’ crossed that milestone globally this weekend, proving that Zillennial nostalgia is officially having a moment. Zillennials—the micro-generation born between 1997-2012 who bridge millennials and Gen Z—have deep emotional connections to 2000s properties that executives had written off as "not classics." Unlike previous generations who formed attachments through theatrical releases, these viewers grew up during Disney's direct-to-DVD golden age, bonding with characters through sequels, Disney Channel marathons, and video games. The film's massive haul signals that studios may be sitting on a gold mine of overlooked 2000s IP. With Zillennials now in their peak earning years, expect executives to start fast-tracking properties that speak to this audience. Looking ahead, ‘Freaky Friday’ this August will test whether this theory holds true.

🦸‍♂️ Disney just put Marvel on a content diet. After ‘Thunderbolts*’ earned just $181M domestically in five weeks (compared to ‘Doctor Strange 2's’ $187M opening weekend alone), Disney's pulling a classic Economics 101 move—cutting supply to boost demand. Marvel's pushing back its upcoming ‘Avengers’ movies, canceling three mystery projects, and skipping Comic-Con's Hall H entirely this year. It's a solid scarcity play: no new announcements, no hype machine, just radio silence. This summer's ‘Superman’ and ‘Fantastic Four’ aren't just testing whether people still want superhero movies—they're massive-budget lab experiments that could determine the entire genre's future. If David Corenswet's ‘Superman’ crashes or Pedro Pascal's ‘Fantastic Four’ flops, it could signal audiences have genuinely moved on from costumed heroes altogether. Marvel's betting that making fans wait—and wonder—will reignite the enthusiasm that turned Comic-Con panels into cultural events.

LAST LOOKS
Film Development 🗒️

• Miramax has won the rights to ‘Supermax,’ a high-stakes thriller from David Weil and David J. Rosen. (more)

• Ariana Grande will star opposite Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in ‘Meet the Parents 4,’ playing Stiller’s son’s fiancée. (more)

• Blumhouse has announced its first Spanish-language original film ‘No Me Sigas,’ directed by Ximena and Eduardo García Lecuona. (more)

• Issa Rae will star in and produce the comedic thriller ‘Good People, Bad Things’ for MRC. (more)

• Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki have joined Brad Pitt in David Fincher’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ sequel for Netflix. (more)

• Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Fatih Akin’s World War II coming-of-age drama ‘Amrum’ following its Cannes premiere. (more)

TV Development 📺

• Stranger Things S5 is announced as final season, releasing in three parts: 4 episodes Nov. 26, 3 episodes Christmas Day, finale New Year's Eve. (more)

• Ken Burns explores the life and genius of Leonardo da Vinci in his first non-American documentary, a two-part PBS special. (more)

Business 🤝

• Mark Johnson has renewed his first-look deal with AMC Studios expanding the Anne Rice universe and launching new series. (more)

• ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ writer Charmaine DeGraté has signed a first-look deal with Universal TV. (more)

• PR veteran Will Zang has launched Blade Vista Public Relations to help Asian and international films navigate the U.S. media landscape. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Disney+ adds new perks like movie premieres and discounts, while Hulu offers ticket giveaways starting Jun. 2. (more)

• PBS is suing the Trump administration, claiming its defunding effort violates First Amendment rights. (more)

• California senators say a proposed Paramount-Trump settlement could amount to a bribe and threaten press independence. (more)

CALL SHEET
📅 The week ahead

• TODAY: Inaugural edition of SXSW London begins

• WEDNESDAY: Tribeca Film Festival kicks off

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments