THE $150M FILM OPENS BELOW THE STUDIO'S FIRST FEATURE, 'TOY STORY,' IN 1995; WHY BOY-WITH-ALIENS PITCH DIDN'T CUT IT |
At a time when IP is the Holy Grail at the box office, and mass-appealing, auteur-driven fare a consistent gamble, kudos to two studio efforts over the weekend. Sony threw its support and passion into re-energizing a dormant cult British zombie franchise in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later. Disney/Pixar mounted one of their their relentless attempts to try to break through with expensive original fare, in this case the $150M Elio.
The animated film's $21M domestic debut is the lowest opening for a Pixar movie – lower than the very first Pixar feature, 1995’s Toy Story at $29.1M, and also lower than 2023’s Elemental ($29.6M). The meager take came despite excellent audience exits with an A overall CinemaScore and A+ for the under-25 bunch.
While we know Pixar excels at making emotional movies, which is evident in the exits here, something is holding audiences back from running to theaters. The pitch about a boy with a patch and goofy aliens just isn’t cutting it. >>>'28 Days' Marketing Move |
Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
Oh, Brother - Filming has been suspended on Apple TV+’s untitled brothers comedy series from Skydance Television starring and executive produced by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Production in Austin was paused late last week, with the cast sent home. >>>Showrunner Departing
Newsom & Padilla Take The Gloves Off - After years of playing polite, California's governor and senior senator are now taking on Donald Trump with bare-knuckled blows in his favorite forum, looking to do damage to POTUS and his MAGA agenda -- as JD Vance's trip to the Golden State on Friday made very clear. >>> "The Dam Broke"
Tom Cruise's Oscar Chances - Does Tom Cruise finally receiving this Honorary Oscar reduce his odds of actually winning a trophy in the future? >>>Pete Hammond's Column
'Fly' Guys - Dana Carvey and David Spade are expanding their Fly on the Wall podcast to video after striking a multi-year contract extension with Audacy. The show is ostensibly a history of Saturday Night Live told through the duo and interviews with other cast members. >>>'Superfly' Being Added
The Biggest Star In Town - Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) is a sensation as her voice soars through the London Palladium’s auditorium – and beyond – portraying Eva Perón in Evita. Fans are adding $200,000 and more to the box office daily since previews began a week ago, bringing the total advance to in excess of $9 million for a 12-week summer run. >>>Breaking Baz
It Starts On The Page: 'The Better Sister' - Deadline’s It Starts on the Page features standout limited or anthology series scripts in 2025 Emmy contention. Here is the “Lotta Sky” script with an intro by co-showrunner Regina Corrado, in which she talks about some of the episode’s key scenes, Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks ad-libbing lines, and retired NYPD and FBI agents serving as both technical advisers and actors. >>> See The Script
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When Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen set out to make The Studio, Apple TV+’s inside-baseball Hollywood comedy set in the cutthroat halls of the fictional Continental Studios, they hit on an excitingly ambitious visual approach, simply out of the desire to avoid repeating themselves.
Released in March, The Studio has wowed with its technical achievements, first and foremost, given the fact that each scene is shot in a long, continuous oner.
For Goldberg and Rogen as well as their cinematographer, Adam Newport-Berra, all of the choices stripped away the sense of a safety net and heightened a feeling of urgency in the storytelling. >>>Watch
Related:
Ike Barinholtz On Being A Million-Dollar Game Show Icon, Acting Opposite Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio’ |
Russell Crowe is boarding Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists’ Highlander in the Ramirez mentor role made famous by Sean Connery in the original 1986 movie. He joins already cast lead Henry Cavill.
Dave Bautista has an offer to appear in Road House 2, but that’s it at this point. Talks for the Dune and Guardians of the Galaxy thespian to join the Amazon MGM Studios sequel haven’t even begun.
Owen Wilson is returning for Meet the Parents 4 opposite Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo and new castmember Ariana Grande.
In Brief - Ron Perlman, Malin Akerman, Dennis Haysbert & Ryan Hansen among cast for comedy Suburban Psycho... Outer Banks ups duo to series regulars |
Quotable "I was like a crash test dummy for #MeToo" - Johnny Depp, on the swirl that came amidst his court case with Amber Heard |
More News
🤵 Paramount+ has given a Season 2 renewal to MobLand, starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren.
🍏 Apple TV+ has inked a new multi-year, first-look feature film deal with The North Road Company's Chernin Entertainment.
💀 Sources confirm that Jon Bernthal's Punisher is joining Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
🎬 Los Angeles city officials voted Friday morning to renew its contract with FilmLA for another five years, despite advocacy groups pushing for reforms to the city’s permitting process.
📻 Voice of America, launched during World War II to counter the propaganda of Axis powers, has lost more than 600 employees – along with other government-funded broadcasters – amid Trump administration cuts.
🧙 With the TV adaptation of her novels beginning production this summer, J.K. Rowling teased the first two episodes for her followers, saying she “worked closely” with the writers’ room of the Warner Bros. Discovery series. “I read the first two episodes of the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series and they are SO, SO, SO GOOD!” |
by the numbers $910M - Global B.O. to date for Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' |
Obituaries 🕯️ Sara Burack, a real estate agent who appeared on Netflix's Million Dollar Beach House, has died following a hit-and-run accident in Hampton Bays, NY, according to multiple media reports. She was 40. 🕯️ Gailard Sartain, the character actor and comedian whose breakthrough role on Hee Haw launched a career of playing Southern good-ol’-boys that included his memorable performance as The Big Bopper in 1978’s The Buddy Holly Story , died Tuesday, June 17, following a long illness. He was 78. 🕯️ Lynn Hamilton, the veteran actress best known for her television roles on The Waltons, Sanford and Son and Generations, has died at the age of 95. 🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries |
| On the Radar
Tue - NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary
Wed - The Bear S4 premiere; Clarissa Ward on Colbert
Thu - Jeremy Allen White on Fallon
Fri - F1: The Movie opens; Squid Game S3 premieres |
Small Market, Big Win - The NBA Finals came to a close with a big win for one of the smallest-market teams in the league: the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was rewarded with the Finals MVP award, as well, marking the first time in 25 years that the same player has won both MVP trophies. |
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