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.
Chris Rock The host of SNL’s season 46 premiere helps drive the NBC variety series to 8.24 million viewers Oct. 3, its biggest debut audience in four years. Josh D’Amaro Amid a stalemate with the state of California on a reopening plan for theme parks, the head of Disney’s parks presides over 28,000 layoffs from his division. Travis Scott The artist’s “Franchise” lands at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, with 19.4 million U.S. streams in its first week ending Oct. 1. Jimmy Pitaro The ESPN chief’s NBA Finals on ABC are on track for all-time audience lows, averaging 6.65 million viewers through the first three games. Showbiz Stocks $28.12 (+0.6%) FOX CORP. (FOX) A solid return for the NFL and record ratings for Fox News have…
Battered by the pandemic and growing political headwinds, Hollywood’s business prospects in China are becoming bleak. A state of tumult in Washington-Beijing diplomatic relations is putting greater scrutiny on film activities in the country, while the United States’ failure to contain COVID-19 is forcing the industry to take its pedal off the accelerator in China’s theatrical market. “The trade and political environment has created a perfect storm of uncertainty,” says Stephen Saltzman, an attorney for law firm Paul Hastings who often represents Chinese studios in dealmaking. The feverish partnerships that characterized relations between the world’s two largest entertainment markets over the past decade are not only gone for now, but unlikely to return soon, Saltzman adds. The studios’ weakening position in Beijing also is hitting the industry just as China…
After March’s coronavirus pandemic shutdown, Oscar-nominated cinematographer Greig Fraser did some commercial work in the U.S. before returning to the U.K. to resume production on Warner Bros.’ The Batman. During one of these commercial shoots, a crewmember tested positive for COVID-19. “When he tested positive, we shut down,” Fraser says, noting that everyone on set immediately began to quarantine. “Nobody [else] tested positive; we were all following the correct PPE procedures, washing our hands and wiping the equipment down. We went back after we all had tested negative a few times.” While Fraser declined to discuss Batman, that film also temporarily hit the pause button after star Robert Pattinson tested positive. (It has since resumed production.) Fraser, who also wrapped work on Legendary’s upcoming sci-fi epic Dune, is among multiple…
There’s a new public enemy No. 1 among theater owners and some Hollywood studio executives: Andrew Cuomo. The New York governor, who generally has received praise for his handling of the pandemic, so far has refused to let theaters open even as indoor restaurants, casinos and gyms are allowed to flip on the lights. “We’ve had a request to put all of our CEOs on a conference call. He wouldn’t schedule it. And there are very senior Hollywood executives who have placed calls to him and ended up speaking with his staff, not him. Nothing. Crickets,” says John Fithian, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “He’s put us in a category with big music concerts. That’s absurd.” New York is just one front in the battle…
FEB. 12 The King’s Man MARCH 5 Ghostbusters: Afterlife MARCH 12 Raya and the Last Dragon MARCH 19 Morbius Tomb Raider 2 MARCH 26 The Boss Baby: Family Business APRIL 1 No Time to Die APRIL 23 A Quiet Place Part II MAY 7 Black Widow MAY 21 Godzilla vs. Kong MAY 28 F9 Infinite Cruella JUNE 4 Micronauts JUNE 11 Jurassic World: Dominion JUNE 18 In the Heights Luca JUNE 25 Venom: Let There Be Carnage JULY 2 Top Gun: Maverick Minions: The Rise of Gru JULY 9 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings JULY 16 Space Jam: A New Legacy Unchartered JULY 30 Jungle Cruise AUG. 6 The Suicide Squad OCT. 1 Dune NOV. 5 Eternals Clifford the Big Red Dog Untitled Elvis Presley project NOV.…
In Washington, when the future of TV comes up, talk often turns to future viability of local news outlets, whose reporters are needed to serve their communities, especially during a pandemic. But there’s another reason Beltway power brokers care about local newscasts: The streaming giants don’t. For some in the broadcast industry, Netflix and Hulu aren’t just competitive threats; they’re the entities that legitimize bold dealmaking of the type that could combine historic TV rivals. Picture ViacomCBS and Fox Corporation under one roof, or Comcast’s NBCUniversal merging with PBS. The next time a media corporation seeks government approval for a megamerger, expect to hear “Save Local News” as the rallying cry. The future of M&A in the industry figures to be impacted by a coming decision from the Supreme Court.…
