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 Winfrey The Charter CEO vaults into the ranks of Hollywood’s top-paid execs with $89 million in 2023 pay, much of it in option awards, a rise from $15 million a year before. Andrew Wilson The CEO of video game giant Electronic Arts tries to right the ship by cutting more than 650 staffers and axing a major Star Wars tentpole game. Maya Erskine, Donald Glover The stars of Mr. & Mrs. Smith rang up 964 million minutes of watch time for Prime Video over three days after the show’s premiere, a strong bow on Nielsen’s streaming chart. Brad Falchuk, Byron Wu Despite good reviews and a solid opening on Nielsen’s streaming charts, Netflix cancels the creators’ action series The Brothers Sun after a single-season run. Showbiz Stocks $859.64 (+10.7%)…
On March 4, major Hollywood crew unions began negotiating their health and pension benefits with studios and streamers, with Hollywood Teamsters head Lindsay Dougherty saying, “We will strike if we have to” during the talks. But some L.A.-area crewmembers say that, in the aftermath of the writers’ and actors’ walkouts in 2023, there doesn’t seem to be that much work to halt if their own stoppage is called. Caught in a brutal industry contraction amid the demise of Peak TV, crewmembers describe an anemic return to production after the strikes, which is exacerbating problems for those who already had significantly fewer opportunities to work in 2023. “There hasn’t been any real work,” says one location manager based in L.A., who didn’t work for seven and a half months during and…
The last time Disney faced a full-fledged proxy fight was 20 years ago. More than 40 percent of shareholders voted against the Disney board and its then-CEO, Michael Eisner. The executive lost his chairman title within hours and told the board of his plans to step aside as CEO in mere months. A turning point in that battle, as Bob Iger recalled in his 2019 memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime, was the decision by the influential Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) to back the activists. “I remember thinking that it was like we’d entered a conventional war … and now another party had launched nuclear weapons,” Iger wrote of learning about the ISS recommendation, noting that the organization “typically influences more than a third of the voting shares in a…
Forget about sweet and savory. Try sweet and sandy. They mark the two ingredients that have been fuel for Timothée Chalamet, star of Christmas blockbuster Wonka — which has quietly rung up $624.8 million at the global box office — and now Dune: Part Two. Last year, the young actor rocketed to No. 7 on the list of the top-grossing stars at the 2023 worldwide box office, up from No. 33 in 2022 and No. 49 in 2021, per box office tracker The Numbers. The site bases its ranking on movies released in that particular year and the two preceding years (this means 2021’s Dune was counted in Chalamet’s tally). The star is the youngest of the top 10 names on the 2023 list, disabusing the notion that there are…
Despite a theatrical slate impacted by the writers and actors strikes — with AMC Theatres calculating domestic industrywide box office in the fourth quarter down 35 percent compared with 2019 — chains saw bright spots in Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour ($250 million globally) and Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé ($43.9 million). Crucially for theaters, the concert films came with higher ticket prices and boosted merch sales, earnings disclosures show. For AMC Theatres, the films also opened up a new revenue stream for the company, which was acting as both exhibitor and distributor. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron said Feb. 28 his chain is planning more concert movies in 2024 and in 2025, adding that “our phones have been ringing off the hook” with pitches.…
Annette Bening Nyad The five-time Oscar nominee stars with Alison Brie and Sam Neill on Peacock series Apples Never Fall (March 14), an adaptation of a Liane Moriarty novel. Also this year, Bening stars in Poolman opposite Chris Pine in his feature directorial debut. Emily Blunt Oppenheimer She stars opposite fellow Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling in David Leitch’s movie The Fall Guy, premiering at SXSW before Universal releases it May 3. Two weeks after that, Blunt can be heard voicing a unicorn in husband John Krasinski’s Paramount feature IF. Danielle Brooks The Color Purple The actress has been filming Jared Hess’ video game adaptation Minecraft with Jack Black, set for release from Warner Bros. in 2025. Sterling K. Brown American Fiction He’s part of Brad Peyton’s Jennifer Lopez-led sci-fi thriller…
