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.
For years, Gordon Ramsay and his hit MasterChef franchise called a converted soundstage in Los Angeles home. From there, contestants crisscrossed the 30-mile zone where Hollywood holds court to film on location at glitzy mansions and Michelin-starred restaurants. Tens of millions of dollars flowed into the economy across the Fox show’s 14 seasons. Enter Australia, which has aggressively been courting the production to relocate. It was a tempting proposition. The burgeoning film hub, unlike California, allows unscripted programming to receive tax credits to shoot there. Still, the math didn’t make sense, at least not until permitting issues with MasterChef’s L.A. soundstage emerged that would require major renovations. So, starting next year, producers will fly dozens of home cooks — and the troves of cash that come with a big-budget network…
James Gorman This is the exec to watch for any sliver of Disney succession hints. He’s set to become chairman of the board and name Bob Iger’s replacement by early 2026. Tom Ortenberg The Briarcliff CEO rolled the dice on acquiring Trump origin story The Apprentice and releasing it close to the election, but the film has only grossed $3.3 million so far. Daniel Alegre The TelevisaUnivision CEO, who joined the Spanish-language media giant in September, inherited a streaming business, Vix, that just became profitable. Giancarlo Esposito AMC Networks pulls the plug on the star’s prestige crime drama Parish after one season that didn’t gain viewership traction. Showbiz Stocks $38.70 (+0.6%) FOX CORP. (FOX) Massive election-season ratings on Fox News, an L.A.-New York World Series matchup and a strong start…
This was the summer that theatrical audiences really refamiliarized themselves with the famous 20th Century logo, arcing searchlights and all. The Disney-owned division was everywhere thanks to hits like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus. Guiding 20th is the sure and steady hand of Steve Asbell, who sat down with THR and spilled more than he should about two — yes, we said two — Predator movies coming next year. Where is the balance between originals and franchise plays? Job one was figuring out these franchise movies first and coming up with the right cadence of Avatar, Apes, Alien and Predator specifically. Getting those right was the first part, which we’ve done now. And so that idea is to be able to say, “OK, we know…
HITS Alien: Romulus Alien is back, baby. Director Fede Álvarez and his young cast reinvigorated the sci-fi horror franchise to the tune of $350.4 million after opening in August. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Apes are back, baby. After the previous trilogy wrapped in 2017, 20th resurrected the simians in a new chapter that continued but restarted a new story that made $397.3 million at the box office. Prey Dan Trachtenberg’s American frontier-set Predator became a notable viewership hit on Hulu and won an Emmy. Get ready for more alien hunters. MISSES The First Omen Damien is so not back, baby, at least not theatrically. Despite strong reviews for director Arkasha Stevenson, the film exorcised only $53.8 million out of the box office. A Haunting in Venice This…
In 2019, producer Scott Budnick was meeting with Barack Obama in Washington after the former president screened an early cut of his legal drama Just Mercy, in which Jamie Foxx plays an Alabama man who is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death. At the time, Obama was in the midst of setting up his production company, Higher Ground, and he mused to Budnick that perhaps “a film could literally change somebody’s brain matter,” Budnick says. Months later, Budnick casually shared Obama’s brain matter comment with Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt when the two were on a panel together, and the seeds of an intriguing new piece of research were planted. “Scott relayed the story as though it was this unknowable thing,” says Eberhardt, who has received a MacArthur genius grant for…
Streaming services have homed in on a new strategy to keep subscribers engaged: What if you could get some turkey with your Peacock? Some milk with your Mandalorian? In a bid to expand their user base and to reduce churn, a slew of streamers have cut deals with companies in the grocery business, betting that aligning entertainment with those selling a necessity like food can bolster both sides of the equation. On Oct. 8, Disney and Kroger announced a deal that will give Boost With Kroger Plus members ($99 a year) a subscription of their choice to ad-supported Disney+, Hulu or ESPN+ at no extra charge; this summer, Warner Bros. Discovery pacted with grocery and food delivery service DoorDash, giving DashPass members ($96 a year) free access to the ad-supported…
