The all-new Hollywood Reporter offers unprecedented access to the people, studios, networks and agencies that create the magic in Hollywood. Published weekly, the oversized format includes exceptional photography and rich features.
WERE YOUR EARS BURNING OVER THE PAST few months? It’s very likely, as just about every name in entertainment was bandied about for inclusion on this, our inaugural THR 100, a ranking of Hollywood’s most powerful people. First, some clarification on how power was defined. Like beauty, it often is in the eye of the beholder. That’s a given. I know this list will be dissected, criticized and scrutinized. Since the beginning of the year, editors and writers spent many, many hours engaging in dozens of off-the-record conversations with the town’s top players — and battling in our own conference rooms — trying to measure something intangible: clout. For some, power is the ability to get a green light. Others say it’s the ability to give a green light. Access…
Steven Spielberg (No. 16) 117 Jennifer Lawrence (23) 107 Leonardo DiCaprio (10) 98 Rupert, James and Lachlan Murdoch (2) 96 Dana Walden and Gary Newman (12) 90 Donna Langley, Ron Meyer and Jeff Shell (11) 82 J.J. Abrams (21) 71 Stacey Snider, Jim Gianopulos and Emma Watts (15) 68 Sumner Redstone and Shari Redstone (6) 64 Leslie Moonves (3) 58 Oprah Winfrey (22) 58 Ted Sarandos (5) 49 Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell (13) 46 Bob Iger (1) 35 Richard Lovett, Kevin Huvane and Bryan Lourd (19) 35 Steve Burke (4) 27 Kathleen Kennedy (20) 27 Alan Horn (9) 23 Richard Plepler and Casey Bloys (24) 22 Jeff Bewkes (7) 19 Michael Lynton (25) 15 Bonnie Hammer (14) 14 Kevin Feige (18) 13 John Lasseter (17) 12 Peter Rice (8)…
INSIDERS AT 21ST CENTURY FOX PORTRAY THE surprise June 16 upending of its film studio management as an example of responsible succession planning, and certainly the current drama at Viacom — on a more macro level — is a vivid illustration of what can go awry. It’s clear succession issues are at play here as Rupert Murdoch’s sons, Lachlan and James, begin to put their stamp on Fox’s film and television assets. But what is baffling to so many in Hollywood is that in naming Stacey Snider as the future chairman of the 20th Century Fox film studio, the Murdoch sons — deferring to their father’s 2014 decision to hire Snider in the first place — have upended the exceptionally successful management at one of the industry’s few stable movie…
WHAT DID COMIC-CON look like in its early days before 130,000-plus fans began to swarm San Diego each July? Perhaps a lot like VidCon, the annual online video confab expected to draw more than 25,000 people to Anaheim from June 23 to 25. Teeming with tweens and teens who scream at the mere mention of YouTube stars like Tyler Oakley, VidCon is becoming Hollywood’s answer to the question of how to market to that elusive kid who is immune to advertising and doesn’t know what time her favorite show airs on TV. Several studios and networks have upped their investment in the event, with screenings of teen-friendly flicks like Lionsgate’s Nerve and secretive plans for titles like Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. “Media companies want to…
ON APRIL 27, FIVE BISON carcasses were arranged on the set of the Ice Age film The Solutrean in Alberta, Canada, for a scene that takes place after a hunting expedition. They had been slaughtered and skinned the previous day to be used in the scene by a butcher at the direction of the film’s animal wrangler, John Scott. But the American Humane Association prohibits the use of animals killed for the purpose of film production. And now the AHA, which was monitoring Solutrean, is investigating the incident. “We were alerted to allegations that, if true, are a clear violation of our standards,” says AHA rep Mark Stubis. Solutrean, directed by Albert Hughes and starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, is the first film from the Sony-partnered Studio 8, headed by former Warner…
— JUNE 24 — Free State of Jones BUDGET: $50M STX Entertainment is counting on adults lining up to see the Civil War drama, but prerelease surveys show the Gary Ross-directed film opening in the $8 million to $13 million range, which would be a disappointing start for star Matthew McConaughey. — JUNE 24 — Independence Day: Resurgence BUDGET: $165M The first Independence Day raced to a record six-day, $96.1 million opening during the July 4 holiday in 1996 ($141 million today). Fox’s Resurgence — without Will Smith — hopes for a more modest threeday debut of $50 million. — JULY 1 — The BFG BUDGET: $140M Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book may have trouble crossing $30 million in its holiday debut. Disney, Amblin and Participant Media…
