| | | | | | What's news: Avatar 3 crossed the $500m mark on Christmas Day. Comcast president Mike Cavanagh has inked a contract extension. A court has denied WBD's bid to block Sling TV from selling a suite of short-term offerings. And The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender will bypass theatrical and premiere on Paramount+. — Abid Rahman
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'Marty Supreme' Almost Beats 'Anaconda' in Christmas Surprise ►Timmy time. A second batch of holiday movies opened nationwide on Christmas Day in North America, including A24’s high-profile Timothée Chalamet period pic Marty Supreme and Sony’s Jack Black-Paul Rudd campy monster reboot Anaconda. Marty Supreme made headlines last weekend with a record-breaking per-location average of $145,913 across six locations in New York City and L.A., the best in A24’s history and the best of any film since 2016’s La La Land. Sporting a pricey budget of $60m to $70m, it is reportedly the most expensive movie ever made by the cult indie studio.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that both films launched in previews on Christmas Eve before expanding everywhere on Thursday, with Anaconda earning an estimated $2.1m, versus $2.01m for Marty Supreme. Anaconda is arguably the more commercial offering and is projecting a four-day Christmas weekend north of $20m. However, the reboot has been skewered by critics. Its ranking on Rotten Tomatoes is presently a rotten 44 percent, compared to a 95 percent fresh rating for Marty Supreme.
Of course, the overall winner of the holiday box office contest will be Avatar 3, which is crossing the $500m mark on Christmas Day after topping Wednesday’s domestic chart with another $10.7m for a North American tally of $129.2m. Overseas, it added $11m for a foreign tally of $353.6m, including $71m from China, for a worldwide haul of $483m through Wednesday. The box office report. |
Diddy Seeks Immediate Release From Prison ►Freedom plea. Lawyers for disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs urged a federal appeals court in New York late Tuesday to order his immediate release from prison and reverse his conviction on prostitution-related charges or direct his trial judge to lighten his four-year sentence. The lawyers said in a filing that Combs was treated harshly at sentencing by a federal judge who let evidence surrounding charges he was acquitted of unjustly influence the punishment. Combs, incarcerated at a federal prison in New Jersey and scheduled for release in May 2028, was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking at a trial that ended in July. Combs was convicted under the Mann Act, which bans transporting people across state lines for any sexual crime. The story.
—More criminal charges. Prosecutors in the U.K. have charged Russell Brand with additional counts of sexual assault, including one count of rape. The criminal charges, announced by the Crown Prosecution Service on Tuesday, stem from separate police reports involving two women filed in 2009. In total, Brand faces criminal allegations of sex crimes against six women. The actor and comedian is scheduled to appear in court in relation to the new charges — rape and sexual assault — in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Jan. 20. The story.
—Horrific tragedy. Imani Smith, the former child actor who starred in Broadway's The Lion King , has died. She was 26. Officers from the Edison Police Department in New Jersey found Smith with stab wounds on Sunday. She was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, per a press release from Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department. The release further detailed that Jordan D. Jackson-Small has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon tied to her death. “Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other prior to the incident, thus it was not a random act of violence,” the release added. The story.
—Leading light. Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died. He was 72. Bakri was best known for Jenin, Jenin, a 2003 doc he directed about an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city the previous year. The film, focusing on the heavy destruction and heartbreak of its Palestinian residents, was banned by Israel. Bakri also acted in Cherien Dabis’ 2025 film All That’s Left of You , a drama about a Palestinian family through more than 76 years, alongside his sons, Adam and Saleh Bakri, who are also actors. The film has been shortlisted by the Academy Awards for the best international feature film. The obituary. |
Maher Says David "Not My Friend" After Mocking Essay ►"I used to ask Larry David to do Real Time and he’d always say, ‘Bill, I can’t, I’m not smart enough about politics to do your show.’ Yeah, I get that now." Bill Maher revealed that he and Larry David are no longer friends one month after the comedian called out the Curb Your Enthusiasm star for critiquing Maher’s April meeting with Donald Trump. Maher gave an update on his friendship with David during a new interview, and reacted specifically to David’s satirical NYT essay titled “My Dinner With Adolf.” Asked if anything he’s said publicly has “cost him invites, friends, [or] anything of that nature,” Maher replied, “Fuck yeah.” “I mean, Larry David certainly is not really my friend anymore,” Maher continued, adding that he no longer speaks to him and David has not reached out. The story.
—Omnishambles. Bari Weiss is defending her choice to pull a 60 Minutes story again, this time citing her decision’s seemingly “radical” nature as necessary to restoring Americans’ trust in news. In a memo sent to staff and signed by Weiss, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and editors Charles Forelle, and Adam Rubenstein, the CBS News editor-in-chief said her last-minute decision to pull a El Salvador prison story was among the kinds of “necessary” editorial decisions for the newsroom, even if it “can cause a firestorm.” “No amount of outrage — whether from activist organizations or the White House — will derail us,” the memo reads. The story.
—Let them fight. Megyn Kelly is continuing her hard-right tack, lashing back at Ben Shapiro and aligning herself with Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon as the MAGA movement dramatically splinters. Kelly said she was “flabbergasted” that right-wing commentator Shapiro criticized her on a public stage last week, and she accused Shapiro and CBS News' Bari Weiss of “making antisemites.” The remarks come after Shapiro accused a number of right-wing figures for trafficking in anti-Israel conspiracy theories after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The story.
—🤝 Extension. 🤝 Comcast president Mike Cavanagh has inked a contract extension with the cable and media giant, just days before he is set to be promoted to co-CEO of the company alongside Brian Roberts. The company had previously announced the promotion at the end of September. Comcast disclosed the contract Tuesday evening in an SEC filing. Cavanagh’s new contract runs through 2028, and includes a salary bump to $2.75m per year (up from $2.5m currently), and a target cash bonus of 300 percent of the salary (that’s $8.25m). He also received $35m in performance-based restricted stock units. The story.
—No dice. A court has denied Warner Bros. Discovery’s bid to block Dish Network’s Sling TV from selling a suite of short-term offerings that allow users to sign up for as little as one day at a fraction of the full monthly subscription cost. The Tuesday ruling swung on what exactly a “subscription” means under the contracts and is the second in favor of Dish allowing it to continue offering the first-of-its-kind packages. In August, Sling TV rolled out day, weekend and week passes, which don’t require subscriptions, that give viewers access to its bundle for as little as $4.99 and has popular networks like TNT, CNN and ESPN, among several others. In response, WBD and Disney filed breach of contract lawsuits accusing Dish of violating the terms of their licensing agreements. The story. |
'Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender' Will Skip Theaters ►About that commitment to theatrical... The upcoming feature The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender will bypass a theatrical debut in theaters in October 2026 and premiere on Paramount+ as the streamer becomes the exclusive home of all animated content from Avatar Studios. Ditto for the new series Avatar: Seven Havens. There’s more on the Legend of Aang front: Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Dee Bradley Baker, Peta Sergeant, Freida Pinto and Ke Huy Quan have joined previously announced castmembers Dave Bautista, Eric Nam, Jessica Matten, Dionne Quan, Román Zaragoza and Steven Yeun. The story.
—📅 Going live. 📅 The Bill Simmons Podcast is making its Netflix debut Jan. 11 with a live episode. The sports podcast will go live on Netflix each Sunday, beginning with the Jan. 11 episode, which will stream at 11:30 p.m. ET. Following the episode, the video podcast will be available on Netflix and Spotify, with the audio version available on all other audio platforms. During the NFL season, Simmons will be joined by “Cousin” Sal Iacono for their long-running "Guess the Lines" weekly series. And starting this spring, Simmons will be joined by Zach Lowe to cover the NBA. The story. |
'Stranger Things' Sees Highest Grossing Week Yet on Broadway ►Bower bump. Stranger Things: The First Shadow saw a big jump in grosses last week, amid the release of season five of the Netflix series and as Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Henry Creel/Vecna in the series, made a surprise appearance in the Dec. 19 show. The play saw its grosses jump $300,000 to $1.9m, marking the highest week yet for the play, which opened last March. Capacity inched up to 99 percent at the Marquis Theatre and the average ticket price increased to $151 from $127 the prior week. The show has seen its grosses trending upward since the end of November, which is also when the final season began being released. This also comes as the industry heads into its most lucrative weeks. The Broadway box office report.
—📅 Dated! 📅 Three Months Later, a new musical comedy about survival and art, will play a three-day engagement in L.A. starring Kristen Bell and Lea Thompson. The musical, created by David Wain, Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino, is set to run at the historic Jim Henson Studios for three public performances from Feb. 19 through Feb. 21, 2026, followed by a final invite-only show for industry members. The plan is then to build momentum for a full commercial stage run and for a film adaptation, which is already in development with Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions, with Head of Films Alison Small serving as executive producer. The story.
—📅 Hot ticket. 📅 Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke will lead a one-night-only live reading of All the President’s Men in L.A. The reading, a benefit for the Stella Adler Academy of Acting & Theatre, is scheduled for Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Harmony Gold Theatre. The evening will also honor the legacy of Robert Redford, who starred in the Academy Award-nominated film. In addition to Ruffalo and Hawke, the reading cast will include Michael John Benzaia, Don Cheadle, Spencer Garrett, Charlotte Larsen, Tim McNeil, Rob Morrow, John Jack Rodgers, Christopher Thornton, Missy Yager and Parker Posey. The story. |
'Heated Rivalry' Boss on That Emotional Finale ►"To be a show that people are talking about during the week, it’s crazy." THR's Nicole Fell spoke to Heated Rivalry creator, writer and director Jacob Tierney about "The Cottage," the season finale of the much-talked about Crave/HBO gay sports drama. Tierney breaks down Shane and Ilya’s visit to the cottage, why the season had to end there and if he’s planning to write and direct all of season two alone. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—Refreshing change. It’s not often you see a press tour that is as joy-filled as the project that it’s publicizing — even rarer is one that seems to peddle the same crackling chemistry off- as it does onscreen. THR's Lacey Rose writes that that's what appears to be happening with Heated Rivalry, which centers on closeted hockey rivals Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). Lacey adds that during an otherwise bleak news cycle, the stars of a queer Canadian hockey drama have managed to win hearts and viewers. The story.
—Phenomenon. The key to an insanely high Spotify streaming bump? Snagging a feature on Heated Rivalry, apparently. T.A.T.u’s 2002 anthem “All The Things She Said” served as one of the best needle drops on television this year, soundtracking a pivotal moment in episode four of Heated Rivalry. The track, along with British artist Harrison’s remix, have seen massive streaming bumps since the episode aired. According to data Spotify, T.A.T.u’s streams on the platform have more than doubled, rising 135 percent in the U.S. since the fourth episode’s release Dec. 12. The story. |
'Pluribus': Rhea Seehorn Breaks Down Carol's Escalation ►"How heroic are you if you only do it when you’re threatened?" THR's Brian Davids spoke to Pluribus star Rhea Seehorn about the season finale of the buzzy Apple TV show. Seehorn ponders in a deep-dive conversation the cliffhanger ending to the Vince Gilligan series. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It gets to the question of, what is altruism anyway? Are we not always, at least in part, looking out for ourselves?" Brian Davids also spoke to Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan and senior writers/executive producers Gordon Smith and Alison Tatlock. The trio reveal they know exactly where the show is going after that bombshell cliffhanger — unlike when they painted themselves into corners on Breaking Bad — but viewers will have to wait a bit for season two. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"We heard from the producers after the fact that they'd heard 50 or 60 takes of Anaconda as a straight reboot." Brian also spoke to filmmaker Tom Gormican about his new comedy feature Anaconda. Gormican's reveals how his meta twist on the 1997 killer snake movie won him the job after Sony received more run-of-the-mill pitches. The interview. |
Duffer Bros. on 'Stranger Things 5' Vol. 2's Major Reveals ►"I hope by the time people get to the end that it feels like there’s something inevitable about what happens." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to the Duffer Bros. about Stranger Things 5's Vol. 2. Matt and Ross Duffer open up about the second part of the final season and how it sets up their endgame. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"This is a great year for movies." THR's David Canfield spoke to Laura Dern about her latest films Is This Thing On? and Jay Kelly. The Oscar-winner also reflects on 2025, a year of personal grief and continued industry anxiety, and opens up about what's giving her hope. The interview.
—"It’s the most epic shot I’ve seen. It’s so cool." THR's Rick Porter spoke to actress Dior Goodjohn about the latest season two episode of Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Goodjohn breaks down the "epic" battle in the Sea of Monsters, one of the show's most elaborate action sequences so far. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
Film Review: 'Anaconda' ►"Could use more bite." THR's Angie Han reviews Tom Gormican's Anaconda. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent director has a meta take on the 1990s franchise about a reptilian predator. Starring Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Daniela Melchior and Selton Mello. Written by Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to Mira Nair. The writer-director of Salaam Bombay! joins Seth to share tales of the making of this gritty and entrancing tale of life in the slums of India. The podcast.
—Awards Chatter. THR's executive awards editor Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott spoke to Gwyneth Paltrow. The Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress and Goop founder and CEO reflects on breaking into the business in the 1990s and becoming "the First Lady of Miramax"; working with a generation of great filmmakers early in their careers, including David Fincher, PTA and Wes Anderson; why she grew disillusioned with Hollywood and focused primarily on business for the last 17 years; and what lured her back in front of the camera to play, well, an actress coming out of retirement for Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme. The podcast.
In other news...
—David O. Russell's Madden teaser reveals Nicolas Cage as NFL legend John Madden
—Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers in first Avengers: Doomsday trailer
—Outlander drops special bonus teaser ahead of final season
—Cillian Murphy makes return in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man trailer
—Bart Story, longtime entertainment research executive, dies at 63
What else we're reading...
—Danya Issawi profiles Rama Duwaji, New York City's incoming First Lady [The Cut]
—Adam Serwer writes that the omnishambles Bari Weiss has created at CBS News is a result of the boomerang effect of cancel culture [Atlantic]
—Bilge Ebiri reflects on the current trends in movie marketing, writing that it used to be fun, but now it seems a lot of it is inescapable [Vulture]
—Michael D. Shear, Daniel Berehulak, Leanne Abraham and Fatima AbdulKarim have an interactive, and depressing, report on Israel's illegal land grabs in the West Bank [NYT]
—Here's your Friday list: 15 international series to binge watch over the holidays [THR]
Today...
...in 2022, Neon released Hirokazu Kore-eda's Broker in theaters in North America. The Japanese auteur's Korean-language debut, a critically acclaimed black market baby drama, starred Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, Lee Ji-eun and Lee Joo-young. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Kit Harington (39), Jared Leto (54), Temuera Morrison (65), David Lowery (45), Bill Lawrence (57), Shane Meadows (53), David Sedaris (69), Lars Ulrich (62), Eden Sher (34), Lola Petticrew (30), Beth Behrs (40), Kenny Resch (31), John Lynch (64), Samantha Boscarino (31), Truman Hanks (30), Alexandra Rapaport (54), Georgia Hirst (31), Nadia Dajani (60), Nikolai Nikolaeff (44), Byron Howard (57), Danielle Cormack (55), Jon Barinholtz (46), Tahnee Welch (64), Joshua John Miller (51), Sandra Taylor (59), Steve Bisley (74), Brad Swaile (49), Courtney Lin (34), Zach Mills (30), Shun Oguri (43), Jo Jung-suk (45), Cécile Bois (54), Jared Van Snellenberg (45) |
| Pat Finn, a veteran sitcom star and improv performer known for his roles in The Middle, Friends and Murphy Brown, has died. He was 60. The obituary. |
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