| | | | Hollywood can’t wait to close the book on one of the most disruptive years in history marked by an industry-paralyzing double strike that shut down production for more than six months.
There is a lot of hope for 2024. There is also a dose of anxiety about what exactly the new normal may be.
The new year is expected to bring a selling frenzy. With few writers writing spec scripts during the work stoppage as most focused on strike duties, an anticipated post-strike spec market did not materialize. Unsure whether the main networks and platforms would be open for new business right away or busy attaching acting talent to their packages after the November end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, many producers opted to wait until after the holidays to take out their projects.
Bidding wars are likely but the overall level of offered commitments will be indicative of how much the industry’s ongoing contraction and increased fiscal discipline have taken hold. With series budgets undergoing a correction while costs are going up, including due to the gains achieved by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in their recent contract negotiations, lucrative deals for projects not deemed “undeniable” may be hard to come by. >>>Lay Of The Land |
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Wonky B.O. - Typically the momentum of Christmas moviegoing spills over into the following week, but that wasn’t the case this year as Warner Bros.’ Wonka led all titles with $8M. For the Wednesday following Christmas in the past two years, respectively, it was Avatar: The Way of Water that led with $20.5M in 2022 and Spider-Man: No Way Home with $20.3M. >>>'Aquaman' Sinks To No. 3
Finding 'Barbie' - While Barbie was a monster of a project to finish involving a race to completion with just a year allotted for post, the component writer-director Greta Gerwig and her longtime editor Nick Houy say they wrestled with most was tone. >>>Wanted To Avoid Audience Whiplash |
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With a Best Actress Oscar, some Emmys, Golden Globes and more, awards are something Julianne Moore knows well. Therefore the buzz around her performance in May December should come as no surprise, and for a role she says is one of the hardest she has ever attempted, Moore is already a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award Best Supporting Actress nominee and a good bet for more to come.
This is her fifth cinematic collaboration with director Todd Haynes, a partnership that produced such classics as Far From Heaven and the eerily prescient 1995 drama, Safe. She talks about it all this week on the Deadline video series, The Actor’s Side. >>>Watch The Interview |
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Nicole Paggi has agreed to temporarily become Maxie Jones on General Hospital. She takes over the role from Kirsten Storms, who will be out for a few days. Paggi — who played Kelly Ripa’s niece/Faith Ford’s daughter Sydney in the ABC comedy Hope & Faith — debuted Wednesday on the ABC daytime soap. |
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More News
🤝 Lionsgate said its acquisition of global entertainment platform eOne from Hasbro is done. The transaction adds 6,500 film and television titles to Lionsgate’s large library; diversifies and strengthens its scripted and unscripted television businesses; extends its portfolio of brands and franchises; and expands its presence in Canada and the UK. The price is said to be $375 million in cash plus the assumption of some production financing loans.
🏀 Mark Cuban received approval from the NBA Board of Governors to sell a majority stake in his beloved Dallas Mavericks. Cuban bought the Mavericks for $285 million in 2000 is now selling the team for about $3.5 billion.
🌪 Glen Powell revealed in an interview with Vogue that a new Twister film is coming sooner than we knew. It’s not a sequel and not a reboot of the 1996 film. Filming wrapped “a couple of nights ago,” he added.
🍿 Barack Obama shared his annual list of his favorite movies, and included a message acknowledging his favoritism to films like Rustin, Leave the World Behind and American Symphony, which were produced by Higher Ground, his production company with wife Michelle Obama. Oppenheimer and Air also made the list. |
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Trending
 This Christmas weekend boasted several of the most-watched NFL games in decades. The Miami Dolphins eked out a victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve, drawing 31.5M viewers for Fox. That’s the network’s best performance for America’s Game of the Week since 1995.
🔻 Post-Christmas box office receipts notched the second-lowest take for a No. 1 movie (Wonka) during the period since the year 2000. |
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Obituaries
🕯️ Tom Smothers, who with his younger brother Dick changed the face of comedy through their musical humor and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, died Tuesday in Santa Rosa, California, following a cancer battle. He was 86. 🕯️ Bobby Rivers , an entertainment reporter and television personality on the Food Network and VH1, has died. He was 70. ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, WISN 12, shared the news. The on-air host joined the station in 1979 “as the city’s first Black film critic on television.” 🕯️ Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries |
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On the Radar
Sunday - New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest airs
Mon - Rose Bowl; NHL Winter Classic
Tue - Rob Lowe's The Floor premieres on Fox |
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Rainbow Coalition - Queen Latifah, Barry Gibb, Renée Fleming, Billy Crystal, and Dionne Warwick were recognized for their achievements in the performing arts during the Kennedy Center Honors. |
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