THE LAST DUEL tanks, HALLOWEEN KILLS has #3 Oct Horror opening ever
NETFLIX US biz reps 80-85% of their profits / WHITE LOTUS 2 cast news / Hollywood strike averted
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on MONDAY October 18, 2021.
Where ADELE told BTS to hold her beer (wait are they old enough to drink? 🤔) as she sets the new first day SPOTIFY streaming record for a new single with 24 Million. It had an additional 14 Million total on Saturday and Sunday to stand at 40 Million this morning.
AND: Noah Reed (“Patrick Brewer” from “Schitt’s Creek”) is replacing Armie Hammer in new Tracy Letts play “The Minutes”. Previews set for March, official launch in early April.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
HOLLYWOOD averts a strike, IATSE and AMPTP set a tentative 3 year deal
IATSE got the longer breaks for crew between shifts, and 3% pay-rate increases each of the next 3 years.
Other new deal language was broader, especially in terms of the pay-rate for streaming projects, simply calling it “improved”.
Union members still have to vote to approve the deal. /Variety
BOX OFFICE
“Halloween Kills” : $50.4 Million ($55 Million global)
3rd best October horror movie opening ever (the last “Halloween” in 2019 is tops at $76 Million).
No PEACOCK data released… although don’t think I even really need to say this anymore. It also certainly got a lot of love during Sunday Night Football last night as NBC picks up the synergy ball.
73% of moviegoers were under 35 years old, which is weird because I thought GenY doesn’t go to the movies anymore, especially when they can stream the movie at home no? 🤨
“No Time to Die” : $24 Million ($448 Million global)
Surpasses “Black Widow” and “Shang-Chi” global grosses.
56% decline from opening weekend which… isn’t great, as they’re hoping older audiences show up more.
Has a good shot at surpassing “Quantum of Solace” global gross ($591 Million), but is only at about half of “Spectre” global gross.
“Venom: Let there Be Carnage” : $16.5 Million ($168 Million US, $283 Million global)
“The Addams Family 2” : $7.2 Million ($42 Million US)
Only a 30% drop - this one has great staying power esp considering it’s also avail for $20 PVOD home rental
“The Last Duel” : $4.8 Million ($9 Million global total)
Basically a faceplant as projected.
INTERNATIONALLY:
“Dune” hits $129 Million as it awaits its US and CHINA openings this weekend.
The Chinese-propaganda KOREAN WAR film “The Battle at Changjin” is now at $755 Million after 3 weeks, adding another $71 Million this weekend.
ALSO IN MOVIES
NETFLIX takes over iconic Palisades Village BAY Theater, adding another theater to their PARIS Theater in NYC, and the EGYPTIAN Theater in Hollywood. /THR
Movie theater exhibitor convention SHOW EAST canceled for Miami next month. Sounds like most folks aren’t up for the trip. Many studios didn’t show up in person in Vegas for its West Coast equivalent CINEMACON back in August. /Deadline
📺 THE TV SET
66% of NETFLIX subscribers who started watching “Squid Game” finished the show in its first 23 days
Those 87 Million accounts are still more than the number of people who simply started or watched 2 minutes of “Bridgerton” in its first month. This from internal data viewed by BLOOMBERG.
ALSO: NETFLIX fires an unnamed exec who leaked Chappelle-deal financial data to BLOOMBERG, also included in the “Squid Game info. /THR
Jennifer Coolidge returning for “The White Lotus” Season 2
Not many other details, or well any other details at this point. /TV Line
FX (on HULU) cancels “Y: The Last Man”
The show, which had a very long road to screen in the first place… will not get a Season 2. /Deadline
ALSO IN TV
DC’s “Pennyworth” is moving from EPIX to HBOMAX for it’s next/3rd season.
Also “Titans” and “Doom Patrol” getting 4th seasons on HBOMAX. /THR
APPLE TV+ adds Common to post-apocalyptic sci-fi series “Wool”, with Tim Robbins, Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones and David Oyelowo - About an Earth that becomes too toxic, so a group of people live underground in silos. /THR
HULU sets Harvey Keitel to play Mike Tyson’s trainer and mentor Cus D’Amato in the (unauthorized) limited series “Iron Mike”, from the creative team behind “I, Tonya”. /THR
“B Positive” creator Marco Pennete exits the CBS series. The show underwent a major creative revamp between seasons to make it more of an ensemble vs. a two-hander. /Deadline
ESPN reporter Allison Williams is now officially gone after refusing to get a vaccine. She previously said she’d just be taking a break for football season as she remains unvaccinated this Fall, believing it would affect her ability to conceive. /Deadline
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
NETFLIX’s 2020 US business had 36% of subscribers, but 45% of their revenue
Also NETFLIX’s international business represented just 13% of their total $4.6 Billion Operating Profit in 2020. #US-ARPU-Rules
NOTE: These numbers exclude BRAZIL which is not included in their international #s, but still - good insight into how much the US market still matters to NETFLIX’s financial bottom line, despite it only representing 1/3 of their subscriber base - which we’ll get updated numbers for tomorrow afternoon. /THR
ALSO IN MEDIA
FACEBOOK hiring 10,000 people in the EU over the next 5 years to build their “metaverse”, where your high school crush will still have no interest in “reconnecting”. /WSJ
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
A quiet Friday
👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:
😮
If you were sent this newsletter or… just kinda found it:
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
WB “The Batman” trailer. Only in theaters, Fri Mar 4.
HBOMAX “Peacemaker” series trailer. Really dialing into the “Guardians of the Galaxy” vibes, nice trailer. This John Cena guy is going places. Premieres Thu Jan 13.
WB “The Flash” teaser. Movie is still shooting, has a Nov 2022 release date.
WB / DC “Black Adam” preview. This has a clip toward the end and images from the movie, so this is mainly for any hardcore fans. Movie just wrapped and not out for another 21 months…
NETFLIX “Big Mouth” Season 5 trailer. Premieres Fri Nov 5
HULU “Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition” trailer. Eat some delicious and varied Holiday related food with Padma Lakshmi on Thu Nov 4.
STARZ “Power Book II: Ghost” Season 2 trailer. Premieres Sun Nov 21.
🕵️♂️ THE WEEK AHEAD
TUE - NETFLIX earnings / subscriber updates in the late afternoon
THU - WARNER MEDIA 3Q earnings call, incl HBOMAX subscriber updates, post-AMAZON CHANNELS subscriber losses
FRI - “Dune” arrives in the US and CHINA
SAT - Jason Sudeikis returns to SNL
SUN - “Curb” returns to HBO
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
ZAC BROWN BAND dropped their new album on Friday… furthering their evolution into Jimmy Buffet vibes, but “Out In the Middle” still keeps the Country roots strong.
Listen to the song on SPOTIFY or:
If you need new tunes:
Email me anytime - just reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.
-Sean McNulty
@theseanmac on TWITTER
@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM
or I’m also here on CLUBHOUSE