What's news: A meeting between Paramount and California state officials has been called off at the last minute. Hayden Panettiere’s mother slammed Gayle King and Megyn Kelly. Venice has added Gaza doc from the No Other Land filmmakers. And HBO Max has officially picked up The People v. Gorilla Grodd. — Abid Rahman
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'Brand New Day' Hits No. 6 All-Time WW |
►Woof! Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to deliver in its fourth weekend at the box office after facing off against newcomers Insidious: Out of the Further and Mutiny. Sony releases claim the top two spots at the domestic box office, as Brand New Day grossed $39m for the weekend, bringing its domestic cume to $854.9m, surpassing 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home to become the No. 3 highest-grossing film ever at the domestic box office. This also puts Brand New Day as Sony’s highest-grossing domestic film. Additionally, Brand New Day becomes the No. 6 release of all time at the worldwide box office with $2.22b, surpassing 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.07b).
Out of the Further occupies second place with an opening weekend of $25.3m for the sixth installment in the horror franchise. With its $60.3m global tally, Out of the Further pushes the total Insidious franchise sum beyond $800m.
Universal’s The Odyssey is finding a home in third place with an estimated $19.5m for its sixth weekend to bring its domestic total to $539m. Also opening this weekend was Mutiny, as Jason Statham’s latest action title picks up $7.5m for the frame to land in sixth place from 2,600 North American screens. The Jean-François Richet-directed project carries a $40m production budget. The box office report.
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Ruffalo Fires Back at Paramount Over "Appalling" Antisemitism Claim |
►"Fundamentally dishonest." Mark Ruffalo rejected Paramount‘s claim that his recent comments highlighting the role Larry Ellison’s Oracle played in the Israel-Gaza war were “antisemitic.” “The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” Ruffalo wrote on X Saturday morning. “Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people. This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel." As of Monday morning, Ruffalo's X post has over 27m views, 155k retweets and 825k likes. The story.
—ICYMI. The increasingly fractious dispute between Mark Ruffalo and Paramount's owners is part of the actor's long and consistent opposition to the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger as well as his opposition to Israel's conduct in Gaza, the West Bank and southern Lebanon. On Friday, Ruffalo posted on Instagram a missive that highlighted Oracle’s ties to the Israeli military. A spokesperson at Paramount took the unusual step of issuing a lengthy reply to Ruffalo, both calling for the temperature of the debate to be lowered while also deeming that actor’s remarks "antisemitic." The story.
—"Paramount was right to call it out." Jim Berk, CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, defended Paramount over its war of words with Mark Ruffalo. "Words matter, and so does the willingness to draw a line when legitimate debate gives way to antisemitic tropes,” Berk wrote. "We commend Paramount for speaking clearly and refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism." The story.
—"I think there’s some universal sentiment there, if that’s possible. The question is if that’s possible." Gavin Newsom signaled his support on Friday for settlement talks in the antitrust suit seeking to block the Paramount-WBD merger. The governor suggested that talks were already happening to determine a way forward for the parties. “That’s a process that’s unfolding, I assure you, in real time,” he said on Friday. The story.
—"A lack of good faith." A planned Monday meeting between Paramount and California state officials, designed to kick off settlement talks, has been called off at the last moment, California attorney general Rob Bonta said Monday. “Not only did Paramount leak the alleged substance of settlement discussions, but they misrepresented these discussions, demonstrating a lack of good faith,” Bonta said in a statement. “As soon as Paramount stops playing games and engages sincerely, my office is happy to meet again.” The story.
—More legal issues. Chris Aronson, former domestic distribution chief at Paramount, has sued the studio, alleging he’s owed millions of dollars in compensation after being let go last September as part of a round of layoffs shortly after its merger with Skydance Media. Aronson’s attorney, Barry Kaufman filed the complaint with Superior Court of Los Angeles County on Aug. 20 but it hasn’t yet been formally processed yet before the document leaked online. The theatrical executive had inked a new deal with the studio last year only to be terminated and replaced months later. The story.
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Hollywood Stars Call for Protection of Child Actors |
►"Where is the collective outrage?" Anna Paquin, Christy Carlson Romano and Melissa Gilbert are calling on Hollywood to protect child actors following the recent deaths of Hayden Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase. “It’s not a coincidence that so many former, specifically pre-sexualized female, child ‘stars’ have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends. We were not as protected by the ‘systems’ that look great on paper, as we are supposed to be,” Paquin wrote on Instagram Friday. The story.
—"Shameful." Lesley Vogel, Hayden Panettiere’s mother, slammed both Gayle King and Megyn Kelly for their recent criticisms in the wake of her daughter’s death. “I was very, very hurt and deeply disappointed in the lack of professionalism, the lack of compassion in slamming someone who’s lost two children, without even a modicum of consideration,” Vogel said during a recent interview with the Daily Mail regarding the CBS Mornings host and podcaster’s separate comments. “No one reached out to me before,” she added. “It’s shameful. It’s unconscionable to me.” The story.
—Negligence allegations. In a new court filing, the former child actress Raquel Lee alleges she was repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted by a Disney worker during production of The Poof Point, a 2001 Disney Channel original movie. The suit, which doesn’t name the perpetrator, accuses the studio of negligence. Lee, who was 14 years old at the time, claims that a “middle-aged, male employee who was involved in the filming of the movie” groomed and then assaulted her, first on multiple occasions in his room at a hotel where the cast and crew were staying during production in Salt Lake City and then later on a flight back to L.A. The story.
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Meghan Dropped From 'The Gentlemen'? |
►Backlash. Meghan Markle has been dropped from consideration to join Netflix's The Gentlemen, according to Tina Brown, who reported that the decision came after intense backlash in the U.K. THR previously reported that Markle was in advanced discussions to join the show before the news became public. In a column published on Substack, Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, wrote, “I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn. The backlash in the U.K. was so intense, it became untenable to go forward. This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the U.K.” The story.
—More bad news. Prince Harry, Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and four others have been ordered to pay an initial $13m to the publisher of The Daily Mail following their failed invasion of privacy case. The payment is at the upper end of expectations and will have to made by Aug. 28 The claimants lost a High Court case in London last month during which they had alleged malpractice, such as the illegal hacking of phones, on the part of Associated Newspapers. The story.
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HBO Max Officially Orders Jimmy Olsen Series |
►🟢 Gotham Vandal. 🟢 HBO Max has officially picked up The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a mockumentary from from American Vandal creators Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda centered on Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo). The eight-episode show will show Jimmy directing and starring in a true-crime show that investigates “whether Gorilla Grodd was wrongly convicted in one of Metropolis’ most famous murder trials." Jimmy Tatro will play Gorilla Grodd. Gisondo will reprise his role from 2025’s Superman, as will Beck Bennett (Steve Lombard), Mikaela Hoover (Cat Grant) and Wendell Pierce (Perry White). Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault, Andrew Leeds and Tim Baltz also star. The story.
—Dropped. The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions are headed back to streaming after being dropped at the eleventh hour by their broadcast partner, The CW. The Miss USA Organization said in a statement posted to social media late Thursday that a “contractual issue with our production arrangements” led to the scrapping of the two telecasts, which were scheduled to air Aug. 26 (Miss Teen USA) and Aug. 27 (Miss USA). The organization says it identified the issue two weeks ago. The story.
—🤝 Content deal. 🤝 Disney has struck a deal with digital powerhouse Dhar Mann Studios as the entertainment giant makes a bigger push into creator content. The deal will see Dhar Mann, known for popular, moral dramas on YouTube and elsewhere, produce 20 episodes of original content for Disney. The exact content of those episodes, and whether the episodes will be verticals, or otherwise, remains to be seen. However, this comes as the company moves forward with its goal of turning Disney+ into “a comprehensive membership ecosystem,” which thus far includes a Hulu integration as well as new content. The story.
—Stolen idea claim. Taylor Sheridan, Paramount and NBCUniversal are all being sued by a writer who says Sheridan stole her idea for a TV show and used it to create Yellowstone. In the suit, TV writer and entertainment journalist Lauren J. Salkin claims she submitted a pilot script, show bible and pitch deck for a show called Sovereign Nation to Sheridan’s reps at his management company, Elevate Entertainment, which is also named as a defendant in the suit, in late 2016 and early 2017. Salkin alleges that she received a response from Elevate on Feb. 1, 2017 saying that Sheridan was “unavailable for TV projects." "Within months, Paramount greenlit Sheridan’s Yellowstone," the complaint states. The story.
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Venice Adds Gaza Doc 'Naza' to Competition
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►New revelations. The Venice Film Festival has added Naza, a new documentary from Oscar-winning No Other Land filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, to its competition lineup. The doc claims to reveal in detail “the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.” The film builds on revelations first published by the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, Hebrew-language outlet Local Call and The Guardian between 2023 and 2025. Naza was produced by The Guardian and James Wilson at JW Films. Wilson produced Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning The Zone of Interest. Glazer is an executive producer on Naza. The story.
—"This announcement is a smokescreen." The director of the Oscar-nominated docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab has criticized the Israeli military investigation announced last week into the death of the 5-year-old Palestinian girl, who was killed after Israeli forces fired on her family’s car in Gaza City. Kaouther Ben Hania took to Instagram to question why it took so long to launch the investigation. “For more than two years, the evidence has been there: independent investigations, satellite imagery, ballistic analysis,” Ben Hania wrote. “And there was the most devastating evidence of all: Hind’s own voice, describing the Israeli tanks circling around her. What more did we need?" The story.
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Chase Stokes Bids Farewell to 'Outer Banks'
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►"I had so much shit wrong." THR's Nicole Fell spoke to Chase Stokes about the conclusion of the Outer Banks saga. As the 33-year-old actor moves on from his breakout role in the hit Netflix series, he's opening up about what comes next and the struggles he's overcome since wrapping the show. The interview.
—"There’s just so much noise, so many people talking, so many people who have opinions about me." THR's Benjamin Svetkey profiles Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline. The actress is looking to the future with the show coming to an end, and with a Johnny Depp thriller and a Judd Apatow comedy on deck, Cline is looking to transition from the small to the big screen. The interview.
—"I've kind of let go of all of those fears and understood that I need to go full force or don't go at all." As part of THR's Next Big Thing series, Carly Thomas spoke to rising talent Maia Reficco. The American-Argentine actress and singer is showing a whole new side of herself with her starring role in Prime Video's coming-of-age romance film The Last Sunrise and her new music. The interview.
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Film Review: 'Spa Weekend' |
►"A likable cast let down by uninteresting hijinks." THR's Angie Han reviews Jon Lucas and Scott Moore's Spa Weekend. Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Anna Faris and Michelle Buteau star in this comedy film from the Bad Moms directors, about four childhood friends on a birthday trip that spirals out of control. Also starring Adam Demos, Dominic Ona-Ariki and Erika Heynatz. Written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The review.
In other news...
—Robby’s back: The Pitt offers up first look at S3
—Madonna tops U.K. dance charts a record fifth time in 15 weeks
—San Sebastian: Brad Pitt to return with David Ayer’s Heart of the Beast
—Busan Film Festival sets 23 titles for Vision Korea, Vision Asia sections
—Sarajevo: Sandra Wollner’s Everytime wins best film
—Writer-director Niki Byrnes signs with Underground
—Quality Control co-founder Pierre “P” Thomas hospitalized following heart attack
—Janie Bradford, “Money (That’s What I Want)” songwriter, dies at 87
—Bunny Levine, librarian turned actress in Gilmore Girls and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, dies at 97
—Leslie Parrish, actress in Li’l Abner and The Manchurian Candidate, dies at 90
—Nick Glennie-Smith, composer on The Rock, The Man in the Iron Mask and Secretariat, dies at 74
—Shelley Fabares, star of The Donna Reed Show and Coach, dies at 82
What else we're reading...
—Rebecca Ballhaus, Joe Palazzolo, Dana Mattioli, Josh Dawsey and Dave Michaels report that the DOJ backed off an antitrust case against Live Nation after CEO Michael Rapino met with Trump in the White House [WSJ]
—Frightening report from Andrew E. Kramer about a Russian drone attack that killed 3 Ukranians that was guided entirely by AI [NYT]
—Max Tani reports that the NYT is testing out AI-generated search summaries [Semafor]
—Kate McKenna and Rhianna Schmunk reveal that Howard Lutnick is one of the major causes of the U.S.'s trade fight with Canada [CBC]
—In the wake of Hayden Panettiere's tragic death, Madeline Halpert talks to experts about why child stars fall into addiction [BBC]
Today...
...in 1966, Paramount brought Michael Caine’s Alfie to theaters. The film went on to be nominated for five Oscars at the 39th Academy Awards ceremony, including best picture and actor. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Ava DuVernay (54), Stephen Fry (69), Elizabeth Debicki (36), Dave Chappelle (53), Rupert Grint (38), Marlee Matlin (61), Jared Harris (65), James D'Arcy (51), Anne Archer (79), Steve Guttenberg (68), David Koechner (64), Takashi Miike (66), Fleur Geffrier (40), Pierfrancesco Favino (57), Sonja Bennett (46), Chad Michael Murray (45), Griffin Gluck (26), Grey Griffin (53), Alex O'Loughlin (50), Beth Riesgraf (48), Jennifer Lien (52), Martha Higareda (43), Kevin Dunn (70), Tony Amendola (75), Carmine Giovinazzo (53), Rachael Carpani (46), Seo Ji-hye (42), Cristiana Dell'Anna (41), Kate Jenkinson (45), Craig Kilborn (64), Antonio Campos (43), Grey DeLisle (53), Ivy Wolk (22)
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Michael Wright, who starred as the lead vocalist Eddie King Jr. in Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats and as Wesley Snipes’ brother in Sugar Hill, has died. He was 70. The obituary.
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