China's 'Pegasus 3' Eyes Huge Debut; Paramount Clears WBD Antitrust Hurdle; Trump Tariffs Blocked

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View on web New reader? Subscribe SUBSCRIBE. IT'S FREE. 'PEGASUS 3' SET TO DOMINATE CHINESE NEW YEAR B.O. WITH $400M TAKE CHINA'S TOP 5 MOVIES ARE EXPECTED TO PULL IN $805M The biggest movies at this weekend’s worldwide box office won’t be from Hollywood — sorry, Wuthering Heights — but rather from China, where the Year of the Fire Horse has been in full swing since Tuesday. Overall, distribution sources indicate that Gower sees the Top 5 movies alone doing a combined total of $805M for the six-day stretch of Tuesday through Sunday. Hollywood’s highest week ever at the domestic B.O. was $536.4M, when Avengers: Endgame led the April 26-May 2, 2019, frame. We could never reach such scale. According to Maoyan, total box office since opening across all titles screening during the Chinese New Year window has reached RMB 3.1 billion ($452.6M) to date. >>>'Pegasus 3' Already At $219.5M Deadline Exclusives & Originals Ireland Goes To Burbank - Former Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group chief Mike Ireland has been hired by Warner Bros. Picture Group as President of Production. He will join Jesse Ehrman, Warner Bros’ current President of Production, and start next month. >>> 16+ Movies A Year Vue CEO Backs Paramount - Tim Richards, the boss of Vue International, Europe's largest privately held cinema operator, told us in a wide-ranging interview that "the entire industry, either publicly or privately, is supporting Paramount" in the race for WBD. >>>Thoughts On IMAX New In NY – New York staple Rosanna Scotto will have Jerry O’Connell as guest co-host on Fox 5’s Good Day New York next week. The third hour of the duo’s morning block will act as a trial run for a potential daily talk show headlined by the pair. >>> Would Air On Fox Stations Redmayne Sets Next Pic – Searchlight Pictures has come on to acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda's next English-language project and set Eddie Redmayne to star and produce. The untitled feature will also be written by Kore-eda. >>>Julia Roberts Film In Pipeline THE DEADLINE INTERVIEW ‘Landman’s Billy Bob Thornton Tells Great Robert Duvall Stories & Divulges The Deep, Dark Secret He Never Told His Mentor To most of us movie watchers, Robert Duvall was a consummate actor. To Landman star Billy Bob Thornton, Duvall was a surrogate father who gave the actor and filmmaker a grudging kind of love and approval that he never got from his real dad. We thought the best way to honor one of the great actors of his generation would be for Thornton to share with Deadline readers stories of their times together. Duvall died last Sunday at the age of 95.>>>Read The Interview QUOTABLE   "The job losses will spiral" - James Cameron predicting the knock-on effects of a Warners-Netflix merger RENEWALS, CANCELLATIONS & PICKUPS ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ Renewed For Season 5 Netflix Orders ‘Dang!’ Adult Animated Series Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Bedtime Stories’ Heads To Nickelodeon CASTING ABOUT Exclusive Tiffany Haddish and Rosario Dawson are attached to star in The Lesson, a horror-thriller from American Heist and The Bachelor executive producer JoJo Ryder, who will also direct and has scripted. Mads Mikkelsen is set to join Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming feature What Happens at Night.    Exclusive Emilia Jones and Alessandro Nivola have closed deals to join Zoey Deutch and Emily Bader in The 99’ers, Netflix's U.S. women’s soccer drama from director Nicole Kassell.   Exclusive Phoebe Dynevor (Anniversary) has been tapped for a lead role in Beach Read, 20th Century Studios' adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel from Emily Henry.   Exclusive Joe Pantoliano is part of the cast of Starz's Power Book III: Raising Kanan for its fifth and final season. Production concluded last year. DEVELOPMENT   Exclusive ‘Rich AF’ Series Based On Vivian Tu’s Book In The Works At Amazon   EXCLUSIVE Amazon MGM Studios Snaps Up YA Fantasy Bestseller ‘A Stage Set For Villains’ From Shannon J. Spann Chelsea Handler To Play Washed-Up Reality Star In ‘Townhouse’ Comedy Series In The Works At Hulu   Exclusive Crystal City Entertainment Developing Yardena Schwartz’s ‘Ghosts Of A Holy War’ For Film QUOTABLE   85M - Number of views across YouTube & social for James Talarico's interview with Stephen Colbert MORE NEWS 🤼 Paramount has cleared a 10-day waiting period after responding to a second request for information from the U.S. Department of Justice around its unsolicited bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. The step incrementally advances Paramount in the merger battle, but the company still must dislodge Netflix, which has an acquisition offer in place. 🏛️ The Supreme Court ruled today that Donald Trump did not have the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs, a rebuff of the president’s central economic policy. The court, in a 6-3 opinion, ruled that the president lacked the justification to impose the tariffs during peacetime. 💰 Casey Wasserman has hired investment bank Moelis & Company to explore the sale of his eponymous talent and marketing agency. He put the firm on the auction block as he deals with the fallout from the Epstein Files. ⚖️ In a sprawling lawsuit filed against Roblox by Los Angeles County, the hugely popular online gaming platform has been accused of creating a breeding ground for predators to exploit and extort minors.    HIRINGS, PROMOTIONS & EXITS Sandra Stern To Step Down As Lionsgate Television Vice Chairman, Leaving TV Business After 40 Years   Exclusive Samuel Goldwyn Films Names Susan Posner Head Of Worldwide Strategy & Sales   Exclusive Manager Nick McCabe Joins Anonymous Content OBITUARIES   🕯️ Eric Dane, the actor known for his roles in Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy, has died following his ALS diagnosis. He was 53. 🕯️  David Hays, a prolific Broadway set and lighting designer and the founding artistic director of the National Theater of the Deaf, died Tuesday, February 17, at his home in Essex, Connecticut. He was 95. 🕯️  Jason Shumaker, a veteran communications executive whose tenures at MTV and VH1 saw him play key roles in support of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, The Shannara Chronicles and the MTV Video Music Awards, passed away on February 16 from complications with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 55. 🕯️  2026 Deaths Photo Gallery ON THE RADAR Fri - James Talarico on Real Time Sat - Annie Awards Sun - Olympics closing ceremony; BAFTA Film Awards; A Knight of Seven Kingdoms finale Mon - Warner Bros. Discovery board wraps new round of talks with Paramount Tue - State of the Union address; Gavin Newsom’s memoir drops Wed - Paramount earnings; Survivor S50 premiere PHOTO OF THE DAY USA's Big Day - Team USA won the women’s hockey gold medal in a thriller, beating the Canadian team 2-1 in overtime after rallying to tie the game with about two minutes left. A short time later, 20-year-old Alysa Liu became the first American woman to win an individual Olympic figure skating gold since 2002. This email was sent to punjabsvera@gmail.com by Deadline. Please add email@email.deadline.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the Preferences Center to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11355 W Olympic Blvd Los Angeles, CA, 90064 View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Rights | Ad Choices | Terms of Use | Unsubscribe