| | | | | | What's news: Lilo & Stitch has sailed past $750m. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival has kicked off in France. Mia Goth will star in Star Wars: Starfighter. Steph Curry will be lead the voice cast of Sony's animated feature GOAT. Amazon has canceled Étoile after a single season. — Abid Rahman
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WBD to Split Into Two Companies ►"This separation will invigorate each company." Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed plans to separate into two publicly traded companies. The "Streaming & Studios" company will consist of Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, as well as their legendary film and television libraries. "Global Networks" will include premier entertainment, sports and news television brands around the world including CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., and Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, and digital products such as the profitable Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report. David Zaslav, president and CEO of WBD, will serve as president and CEO of Streaming & Studios. Gunnar Wiedenfels, CFO of WBD, will serve as president and CEO of Global Networks. Both will continue in their present roles at WBD until the separation. The story.
—"These companies will be better aligned with shareholders." WBD CEO David Zaslav told Wall Street analysts Monday that the “bold choice” to effectively unbundle the company he helped forge three years ago “reflects our belief that each company will go further and faster apart than they can together.” “We are in the midst of this generational disruption, and things are changing, they’ve changed significantly in the last few months,” Zaslav lamented Monday. The story.
—Splitting the liabilities. “It’s safe to assume that the majority” of WBD's roughly $37b in debt load will exist with the spun off Global Networks, the new company’s new president and CEO Gunnar Wiedenfels said on Monday. “A not-insignificant portion” will remain with the David Zaslav-run Streaming & Studios, Wiedenfels added. At the end of March, WBD had gross debt of $38b, which is comprised of “total debt” ($37.4b) and financial leases ($535m). The 2022 merger of WarnerMedia (owned by AT&T) and Discovery, Inc. created more than $50b of debt. The story.
—Staying the course. Amid ongoing widespread protests across Los Angeles County against unlawful immigration raids, the organizers behind the BET Awards have reaffirmed that the 2025 ceremony at the Peacock Theater will go ahead as planned on Monday evening. In a statement to THR, a BET spokesperson said, “BET remains committed to the safety of our guests and staff. We are working closely with LAPD and monitoring the situation. The 2025 BET Awards will take place Monday, June 9th, 2025, at 8pm ET/PT as scheduled.” Violent clashes erupted during immigration raids across Los Angeles this weekend, as demonstrations escalated into street battles between protesters and law enforcement. The story.
—"Violated our standards." ABC News has suspended senior national correspondent Terry Moran after the network veteran called Trump administration deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a “world-class hater.” Moran posted on X late Saturday night and deleted it not long after. “ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others,” an ABC News spokesperson told THR . “The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards — as a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation.” Moran has been with ABC News since 1997, covering events like 9/11 the Iraq war and multiple presidential elections. He even interviewed Trump in the Oval Office just over a month ago. The story. |
Tony Awards 2025 ►🏆 Congrats! 🏆 Maybe Happy Ending, Purpose, Sunset Blvd. and Eureka Day took the top prizes at the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday night, winning best musical, best play, best musical revival and best play revival, respectively. The Cynthia Erivo-hosted ceremony also saw The Picture of Dorian Gray's Sarah Snook; Oh, Mary!'s Cole Escola; Maybe Happy Ending‘s Darren Criss and Sunset Blvd.‘s Nicole Scherzinger win the lead acting awards for plays (Snook and Escola) and musicals (Criss and Scherzinger). Maybe Happy Ending won a total of six awards after going into the night tied with Buena Vista Social Club and Death Becomes Her for the most nominations with 10 apiece. The winners.
—Snubs, surprises and shut-outs. Early during the Tonys ceremony, host Cynthia Erivo singled out an “up-and-comer” who landed his first nomination this year: George Clooney. The Oscar-winning actor-director behind recordbreaker Good Night and Good Luck was going places, Erivo suggested, but just hours later Clooney, who got a number of onstage shout-outs during the awards ceremony that aired live on CBS, left the Tonys without the Broadway play receiving a single award, despite being nominated for five honors. Similarly, the revival of Gypsy, which landed five nominations, including an historic 11th nod for Audra McDonald, was also shut out. In an upset, Purpose won the Tony for best play, besting Oh, Mary! and John Proctor Is the Villain, starring Sadie Sink, both of which had been buzzed about. The snubs.
—The looks. The stars were out for the Tony Awards on Sunday at New York's storied Radio City Music Hall. THR has put together a gallery of the best red carpet looks that includes the likes of George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicole Scherzinger, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves, Mia Farrow, Bryan Cranston, Audra McDonald, Cole Escola, Cynthia Erivo, Darren Criss, Brooke Shields, Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, Bob Odenkirk and Sarah Snook. The gallery. |
TV Ratings: All 112 Shows That Averaged 5M+ Viewers in 2024-25 ►Netflix supremacy. Streaming is now the default option for almost half of all TV users in the United States, with traditional broadcast and cable outlets seeing their share of viewing time shrink consistently in the past few years. THR's Rick Porter writes that as it turns out, though, a significant number of viewers are using their time on streaming services watching shows that begin their lives on broadcast networks. Nearly a third of the long-tail audience for CBS’ Tracker — the top scripted show on network TV in 2024-25 — watched it on a streaming outlet. For ABC’s first-year hit High Potential , the streaming audience was just shy of half its total. Rick takes a closer look at Nielsen’s 35-day, cross-platform ratings for the latest TV season. The analysis.
—One and done. Amazon Prime Video has canceled Étoile after a single season — even though the streamer had initially asked for two. The news comes about six weeks after the series, from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, premiered its full eight-episode season. Étoile is set in the world of ballet and centers on the heads of historic but struggling companies in New York and Paris (played by Maisel alum Luke Kirby and Charlotte Gainsbourg) who decide to swap their principal dancers. Prime Video gave the show a two-season, straight-to-series order in 2023 as Maisel was in its final season. Such deals often have contingencies, however, by which a streamer or network can opt out after part of a multi-season order. That was the case with Étoile. The story.
—Missing Cleaning Lady. Fox has canceled its drama series Alert: Missing Persons Unit and The Cleaning Lady. The decision comes shortly after the two shows wrapped their 2024-2025 seasons: Alert aired its last episode on May 27, and The Cleaning Lady finished up on June 3. They end their runs on Fox after three and four seasons. The cancellations are not a big surprise, as Alert and The Cleaning Lady were at the lower end of Fox’s ratings for the season. In seven-day linear ratings (not including streaming), Alert averaged 2.16m viewers and The Cleaning Lady, 1.68m, well below the totals for renewed dramas Doc (4.6m) and Murder in a Small Town (3.15m). Fox also canceled first-year drama Rescue: Hi-Surf in May. The story. |
'Ballerina' Opens to Sluggish $25M ►Hoping for legs. Disney’s Lilo & Stitch is dancing circles around Lionsgate's From the World of John Wick: Ballerina at the domestic box office. Lilo topped the North American chart for the third consecutive weekend with an estimated $32.5m from 4,185 theaters after clearing the $300m milestone on Thursday. Through Sunday, the live-action blockbuster’s global haul is an estimated $772.6m, including $335.8m domestically and $436.8m overseas. Ballerina, the first John Wick spinoff, opened in second place with a softer-than-expected $25m from 3,409 venues, the lowest start of any title in the series except for the first John Wick in 2014. Ana de Armas plays the title role in the R-rated action pic, with main franchise star Keanu Reeves also making an appearance.
Three weeks ago, Ballerina was tracking to open to $35m or more. Projections were lowered to $30m-plus heading into the weekend and even further. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that there is good news Lionsgate: Ballerina nabbed an A- CinemaScore and strong audience scores, both on Rotten Tomatoes (94 percent) and PostTrak, so it could regain its step and have long legs. The box office report. |
Annecy at 40 Sets the Animation Agenda ►Indies and icons, tentpoles and Oscar contenders. All this week, the sleepy Alpine town of Annecy will be transformed into the global hub of the worldwide animation industry. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 8-14), started as a bi-annual event for animation superfans, has become a must-attend for the biggest names in the industry — the animation divisions of Netflix, Disney/Pixar, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Sony and Paramount will all be represented — alongside the cutting edge of the international indie industry. THR's Scott Roxborough talks to the key players behind the French fest as it gears up to celebrate a landmark year. The story.
—🎭 GOAT conversation. 🎭 NBA superstar Stephen Curry is taking on his first major acting role in GOAT, a basketball-themed animated feature from Sony Pictures Animation. The action-comedy, directed by Tyree Dillihay, is set in an all-animal world and follows Will, a little goat with big dreams who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball – a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Curry is also a producer on the feature. Sony unveiled the main voice cast for GOAT on Monday. Joining Curry on the roarball court are Stranger Things alums Caleb McLaughlin and David Harbour; Bad Boys II actress Gabrielle Union; Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan; Black-ish actress Jennifer Lewis; and comedians Patton Oswalt and Nick Kroll. The story.
—🎭 Goth Vader 🎭 Pearl star Mia Goth has joined Ryan Gosling in Star Wars: Starfighter, the feature from director Shawn Levy. Gosling is leading the new feature project, which is expected to begin production this fall in the U.K. It is scheduled to open May 28, 2027. Details on the project are scant, but it does involve Gosling playing a character that must protect a young charge against evil pursuers. Goth will play one of the pursuers. It is the same role that Mikey Madison had been circling before her deal spluttered over money matters. The story.
—🤝 Sold! 🤝 Hulu has picked up the untitled college comedy starring Stranger Things actor Gaten Matarazzo and The Goldbergs alum Sean Giambrone. Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher (known as the comedy duo BriTANicK) wrote and directed the feature that follows a group of college students, who order a pizza to their dorm but due to a bad drug trip, the simple journey down two flights of stairs to retrieve the pizza turns into, according to the logline, “a mind-bendingly transformative quest.” The film is produced by Jeremy Garelick and Will Phelps of American High, which was behind fellow Hulu features Plan B, Big Time Adolescence and The Binge. The story.
—🎭 Reunion. 🎭 Michelle Randolph, known for her work in the Taylor Sheridan series 1923 and Landman, is in talks to star in Malibu, a horror thriller that Tod Williams will direct for Screen Gems. Roy Lee and Steven Schneider are the producing the low-budget thriller via their banner Spooky Pictures. Plot details are being kept in the basement, but it is described as a thriller skulking around in the subterranean horror subgenre. The plan is to shoot later this year. The project is a reunion between Williams with Schneider. The former helmed Paranormal Activity 2, which was part of the hit horror franchise on which Schneider acted as a producer and executive producer. The story.
—Helmer found. Craig Brewer, known for helming such films as Hustle & Flow and Dolemite Is My Name, is set to direct the untitled Snoop Dog biopic from Universal. Brewer is revising the script that was previously penned by Joe Robert Cole and tells the story of the music icon’s eventful journey along his path to fame. A cast has not yet been announced, nor has a release date. Producers include Snoop Dogg, Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker. This marks the first project through Death Row Pictures’ overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios. Universal senior vp of production development Ryan Jones oversees the feature for the studio. The story. |
THR's Best Stunts of All Time, Over Nearly 100 Years of the Oscars ►What if. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has formalized a plan for its stunt design Oscar category, which will first be presented at the 100th honors in 2028. In that spirit, for THR, Thomas Doherty has gone year-by-year, from the start of the Academy Awards onward, on some of the most noteworthy stunt artistry in Hollywood cinema over the course of the last century — and which films may have claimed Oscar gold. The list. |
Film Review: 'Materialists' ►"Mercifully, more Nicole Holofcener than Nancy Meyers." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Celine Song's Materialists. The Past Lives writer-director follows her head-turning debut with a contemplative look at dating, love, relationship expectations and the inevitable consideration of money in contemporary New York City. Starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Zoë Winters, Marin Ireland and Louisa Jacobson. The review.
—"Sharp-eyed and fueled with well-earned optimism." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Bryan Poyser's Tribeca U.S. narrative competition entry, Leads. The Austin-set comic drama stars Heather Kafka as an overstretched acting teacher and Justin Arnold as the footloose brother who barges into her busy life. Also starring Macon Blair, Yesenia García Herrington, Aaliyah Tardio, Wade Smith and Sara Paxton. The review.
—"Topical and disturbing." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Christian Swegal's Tribeca spotlight narrative selection, Sovereign. Nick Offerman stars as an anti-government extremist in this timely drama also starring Jacob Tremblay, Dennis Quaid, Martha Plimpton, Thomas Mann and Nancy Travis. The review.
—"Highly effective, if limited in scope." THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews Tanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari's Tribeca documentary competition entry, An Eye for an Eye. The Iranian doc film focuses on a woman charged with murder in a patriarchal legal system. The review. |
Film Review: 'How to Train Your Dragon' ►"A likable, if unnecessary, remake." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Dean DeBlois' How to Train Your Dragon. Original How to Train Your Dragon screenwriter DeBlois solo-directs this live-action take on the popular animated franchise, which follows the adventures of a young Viking and the creature he befriends. Starring Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Gabriel Howell and Julian Dennison. The review.
—"Delivers, despite some questionable turns." Lovia reviews Michael Pearce's Echo Valley. A bereaved mother must decide how far she will go for her daughter in this Apple Original film. Starring Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Domhnall Gleeson, Fiona Shaw, Edmund Donovan, Albert Jones and Kyle MacLachlan. The review.
—"Intimate and forceful." Lovia reviews Eric Lin's Tribeca U.S. narrative competition entry, Rosemead. Lucy Liu plays a Chinese immigrant battling a terminal illness while navigating her son's worsening schizophrenia in Lin's directorial debut. Also starring Lawrence Shou, Orion Lee, Jennifer Lim, Madison Hu and James Chen. The review.
—"The cast gives the usual Tyler Perry histrionics some weight." Lovia reviews Tyler Perry's Straw. Taraji P. Henson and Teyana Taylor star in Perry’s Netflix thriller about a single mother who gets caught up in a robbery scheme while caring for her sick daughter. Also starring Sherri Shepherd, Glynn Turman, Sinbad and Rockmond Dunbar. The review.
In other news...
—Apple unveils The Lost Bus teaser trailer with Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera
—Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin voice ambitious pigs in first footage from Andy Serkis’ Animal Farm
—J Balvin, Doja Cat and Tems to headline first-ever FIFA Club World Cup Halftime Show
—Kim Novak to receive Venice Golden Lion for lifetime achievement
—Jesse Williams’ X account seemingly hacked
—Arthur Hamilton, “Cry Me a River” songwriter, dies at 98
What else we're reading...
—James Queally, Nathan Solis, Salvador Hernandez and Hannah Fry report on the fallout from immigration raids as the National Guard arrives in Los Angeles [LAT]
—Tyler Pager writes that Trump has jumped at the first chance for a confrontation with California over immigration [NYT]
—Philip Bump writes that what happened in California this weekend was another facet of Trump’s effort to quash critics [WaPo]
—Joe Reid goes inside the whisper campaign to unseat FX's The Bear as the Emmy’s best comedy [Vulture]
—Andrew Jack reports that Harvard is in talks with other universities to host students hit by Trump’s visa clampdown [FT]
Today...
...in 2017, A24 released Trey Edward Shults' It Comes at Night in theaters. The psychological horror film, which starred Joel Edgerton and Christopher Abbott, was a hit with critics and made a respectable $20m at the box office. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Michael J. Fox (64), Natalie Portman (44), Aaron Sorkin (64), Gloria Reuben (61), Mae Whitman (37), Michaela Conlin (47), Xolo Maridueña (24), David Koepp (62), James Newton Howard (74), Damian Romeo (31), Mark Tallman (45), Eddie Marsan (57), Finn Little (19), Andrew W. Walker (46), Lucien Laviscount (33), Tim Loden (43), Josh Hamilton (56), Danielle C. Ryan (32), Louis Cancelmi (47), Tennille Read (46), David Troughton (75), Justin Benson (42), Lauren Socha (35), Rory Keenan (45), Lee Hyeri (31), Logan Browning (36), Ash Santos (32), Dino Fetscher (🏴37), Keesha Sharp (52), Matt Bellamy (47), Benj Pasek (40), Robbie Fairchild (38), James DeBello (45), Youssef Kerkour (47), Rheagan Wallace (38), Sonam Kapoor (40) |
| Pippa Scott, who played one of the abducted daughters alongside Natalie Wood in John Ford’s The Searchers and the secretary of Rosalind Russell’s title character in Auntie Mame, has died. She was 90. The obituary. |
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