| SUMMER SEASON COULD TOP $4B, BUT SPARSE SLATE IS CONCERNING |
Following the successful opening of 20th Century Studios/Disney’s The Devil Wears Prada 2, there’s an excitement in the air that this summer finally could deliver another $4 billion-plus season in the ongoing recovery from Covid.
Thanks to Prada's $76.7M opening and Lionsgate’s Michael holding over with a $54.4M second weekend, this was the second-best start of summer since the pandemic, with all films totaling $173.1M, per ComScore. The best summer kickoff since Covid remains 2022, when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness led all titles to $222.3M.
While this summer, per the Comscore schedule, boasts 57 wide releases (titles opening north of 1,000 theaters in their first weekend), which is more than last year’s 44.
Of those 57 movies, only 34 are from either major motion picture studios including Amazon MGM or distinguished labels such as A24 and Neon that have a history of delivering an extra shot to summer. In other words, those 34 films will have some kind of multimillion-dollar marketing budget behind them. >>>Muted Memorial Day Frame |
Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
Treachery Loves Company - Analyst K7 has crunched the numbers for its latest Tracking the Unscripted Giants report and with nearly 50 adaptations and The Traitors, the smash hit show in which traitors hunt down faithfuls, came out on top for formats created this decade. >>>20% Of New Format Launches
Grifter's Paradise - The Met Gala has always been a preposterously gaudy spectacle, but there’s an insurgent new guest on the New York red carpet that has raised the stupidity stakes for all: AI. >>>Viral Fake Photos
Doc Talk Podcast: Ryan Reynolds & Colin Hanks - On the new episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks stop by our studios to discuss their documentary John Candy: I Like Me, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Candy’s hometown. >>>Listen
Taking A Stand - Bosses at the British broadcasting union, leading association of agents and anti-bullying body have come together to urge UK government support helping prevent injury on film, TV and theater sets. A “broad coalition” of industry figures have signed a just-published open letter that was sent to ministers last night. >>>Call For Framework
'System' Online - Prime Video will launch its next Indian movie globally on May 22. System, directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, will drop in 240 Prime Video territories. The high-stakes legal drama pic stars Sonakshi Sinha, Jyotika and Ashutosh Gowariker, and was unveiled in March at the Prime Video Presents upfront in India, which featured 69 film and TV titles. >>> High-Stakes Legal Drama |
“I think that she knows that she moved too slowly in her role as mayor to do the work to keep Hollywood here and to make it possible for productions to stay here,” Los Angeles mayoral contender Nithya Raman says of incumbent Karen Bass and the latter’s seemingly sudden attention to years of production decline in the City of Angels.
Bass is presently leading in polls, with Raman and Spencer Pratt separated by only a percentage point or two for second or third place. There could be a run-off in November if no single candidate gets 50% or more on the primary vote in June. As it stands, polls show the vast majority of Angelenos are in the “don’t know” category.
With that, Raman, a two-term L.A. City Council member, sat down with Deadline to discuss the production crisis in the city, as well as job losses and other fears from Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Married to a TV writer and producer, Raman also addressed conflict of interest accusations from the Bass camp and the up-close and personal swipes from Pratt. >>>Q&A |
ExclusiveMaria Zhang (Avatar: The Last Airbender) has joined the series regular cast of the Fox drama series The Interrogator. The series centers on former MI6 agent Conrad Henry (Stephen Fry) and his elite team. Zhang will play Florence, the most idealistic and optimistic of the team. She handles all things computers.
ExclusiveNetflix’s The Night Agent has rounded out the main cast for its upcoming fourth and final season with the addition of Abigail Breslin and David Denman as new series regulars and Annabeth Gish as a major recurring.
ExclusiveMelissa Collazo (Motorheads) will lead Prime Video's The Probability of Miracles, alongside Henry Eikenberry (Euphoria). The series is a TV adaptation of the novel of the same name by Wendy Wunder.
Rita Wilson has landed a key role in How to Survive Without Me, HBO Max‘s one-hour drama pilot from Berlanti Productions and studio Warner Bros. Television. Wilson will play the role of Beverly, a prolific writer-director and a matriarch who sees her family as her greatest accomplishment. |
QUOTABLE
"Absolutely, I would do it tonight" - Barry Diller on whether he would like to buy CNN |
MORE NEWS
🕯️ Ted Turner, one of the leading entrepreneurs in media in recent decades and the founder of CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel, has died. He was 87. Turner’s family said in a statement that he died after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.
🗣️ The sole Democrat on the FCC is calling on the agency to investigate and examine foreign investment in Paramount's proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
📺 Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, and the gang from NBC's The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins will be back with more hilarity as the freshman comedy has been renewed for a second season. Sources say the order is for 10 episodes.
📈 AMC Entertainment, said strong domestic performance and “vastly improved” international results across its European footprint boosted first quarter revenue, which topped $1 billion from $862.5 million the year before.
⚖️ A group of publishers and author Scott Turow filed a class action lawsuit on Tuesday against Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, claiming that the tech giant illegally downloaded millions of copyrighted books and then used the works to train its AI model Llama.
⬆️ The latest player in the vertical video game production world has come to the table, and it marks a significant moment for television's international program sellers. A group of seasoned TV, tech and investment executives have formed RoseBerry Media, which debuts with 'library verticalization' deals in place with five major distributors.
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BY THE NUMBERS
$370M - Gross ticket sales for 'The Wizard of Oz' at The Sphere |
| ON THE RADAR
Wed - Deadline's Sound & Screen Television event; Mick Jagger on Fallon
Thu - Grey's Anatomy finale; Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Palladium; Keith Richards on Fallon
Sat - Apple x Deadline Casting Panel; WNBA season tips off
Mon - Upfronts begin; Webby Awards
Tue - Cannes Opening Ceremony
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'Tongues' Wagging - The Rolling Stones announced their upcoming album Foreign Tongues and three nights of appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote it. |
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