Issue Wednesday, November 20, 2019 (2024)

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THE REPORTHeat IndexDavid GoodmanThe WGA West president scores a win as two mid-tier agencies, Abrams Artists and Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston, sign the guild’s “code of conduct.”Elizabeth BanksWhile losses are mitigated by a $50 million-ish budget, the Charlie’s Angels helmer fails to reboot the franchise with a low $8.4 million domestic debut.Krista VernoffThe showrunner of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, now in its 16th season, sees viewership grow to a 6.5 demo rating and 16.6 million viewers in 35-day multiplatform ratings.Roland EmmerichThe director’s $100 million indie World War II drama Midway isn’t making up enough ground overseas, with a global gross of $72 million since its Nov. 8 release.Showbiz Stocks$66.88 (+4%) LIVE NATION ENTERTAINMENT (LYV)Some on Wall Street are bullish on the concert promoter’s plan to purchase a majority stake in OCESA Entretenimiento, the…1 min

THE REPORTStar Wars Uncertainty Extends to Disney’s Lucasfilm Leader, TooAre there any fans more implacable than Star Wars fans? Probably not. And with The Rise of Skywalker (aka Episode IX) set to wrap up the original saga when it opens Dec. 20, it’s fair to say some are waiting with knives out to see what comes next.The overarching and billion-dollar questions for Disney: Where does the Star Wars universe go from here? Will Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stay or exit? Will Disney CEO Bob Iger and film studio chief Alan Horn give her the chance to steer this balky behemoth into a smooth flight path? And given the rocky recent past filled with fired and side-lined directors and aborted projects, which filmmaker(s) would even dare to take on the next phase of Star Wars?Asked to comment on these topics,…5 min

THE REPORTDisney’s Balancing ActThe studio will stagger its Star Wars and Avatar films while plotting multiple Marvel movies annually2020Black Widow (Marvel)May 1The Eternals (Marvel)Nov. 62021Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Marvel)Feb. 12Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Marvel) May 7Untitled Indiana Jones (Lucasfilm) July 9Thor: Love and Thunder (Marvel) Nov. 5Avatar 2 (Fox) Dec. 172022Untitled (Marvel) Feb. 18Black Panther 2 (Marvel) May 6Untitled (Marvel) July 29Untitled (Marvel) Oct. 7Untitled (Star Wars) Dec. 162023Untitled (Marvel) Feb. 17Untitled (Marvel) May 5Untitled (Marvel) July 28Untitled (Marvel) Nov. 3Avatar 3 (Fox) Dec. 222024Untitled (Star Wars) Dec. 202025Avatar 4 (Fox) Dec. 192026Untitled (Star Wars) Dec. 18Source: Walt Disney Studios…1 min

THE REPORTWhat the End of the Paramount Decrees Actually MeansThe move by the Department of Justice to seek the elimination of the Paramount Consent Decrees is not the end of the story. First up, the DOJ will need to convince a federal judge that the long-standing prohibition on movie distributors owning major theatrical exhibitors “no longer meet[s] consumer interest,” as DOJ antitrust chief Makan Delrahim put it in his Nov. 19 announcement.This will likely mean responding in court to the dozens of comments the DOJ received in reaction to its multiyear review on the conditions put in place after Hollywood studios lost a huge 1948 Supreme Court decision. Many independent theaters have expressed concern that the end of the Paramount Decrees would lead to studios again flexing their might with licensing demands like bundling and geographic exclusivity. Larger chains…2 min

THE REPORTTaylor vs. Scooter and the Imminent Rerecording WarHere’s a prediction: A few years from now, Taylor Swift’s Nov. 24 performance at the American Music Awards will be largely forgotten. But the discussion about this performance will reverberate for far longer than most observers expect.The debate started with a Nov. 14 tweet from Swift, who called out Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta for allegedly restricting her from performing old songs at the ABC event honoring her as Artist of the Decade. According to Swift, the two men only would permit her to perform “Shake It Off” and other early hits if she agreed not to later rerecord copycat versions, as she’s been threatening since Braun in June acquired rights to her Big Machine recordings. Big Machine denied such a move. It’s conceivable each side was telling a version…4 min

THE REPORTMore Joker? Warners’ 1B Reasons to Say YesOn Oct. 7, Joker director Todd Phillips headed into Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich’s office, buoyed by the film’s $96.2 million opening-weekend haul. Sources tell THR he proposed an outsized idea — the rights to develop a portfolio of DC characters’ origin stories.Emmerich balked. After all, Warner Bros. is very protective of the DC canon. And all other DC deals have been for one film, and one film only. But Phillips did emerge from the meeting with the rights to at least one other DC story, sources say. And now that Joker has crossed the $1 billion mark, a sequel is on the way. As the movie keeps raking in money overseas, Phillips is in talks to reprise his role as director for a second Joker outing (he…2 min

Issue Wednesday, November 20, 2019 (2024)

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