What's news: Backrooms and Obsession both cross $300m globally. The Venice Film Festival has finalized the international jury. Netflix has landed the feature film rights to Sesame Street. A Pippi Longstocking animated TV series is in the works. And George Lucas features in Minions & Monsters. — Abid Rahman
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'Toy Story 5' Shoots to Massive $312M Globally |
►Yee-haw! Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 5 is headed toward the biggest opening of the year so far of $160m at the domestic box office. Internationally, it is pulling in $152m, for a massive global start of $312m. The domestic launch number is the biggest of 2026 so far, topping The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which had a three-day launch of $130.9m domestically in April. Mario 2 opened two days early for the Easter holidays and boasted a five-day number of $190.1m. Toy Story 5 is also a record for the franchise, topping Toy Story 4‘s $120.9m launch in 2019.
In its sixth outing, Focus Features’ box office sensation Obsession will finally post a weekend gross smaller than its opening of $17.2m, and is expected to pull in around $14m for a domestic total of around $215m. It long ago became Focus’ No. 1 movie of all time both domestically and globally, where it has passed $300m.
A24’s Backrooms continues to bring in business, is pulling in $7.3m for a total domestic haul of $175.1m and a global total of $301m after launching in May. The box office report.
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Will the Kids Social Media Bans Work?
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►"The real solution lies in addressing the harms from social media for all users." As the U.K., France and Canada follow Australia’s lead on under-16 social media bans, THR's resident Canadians Scott Roxborough and Etan Vlessing talk to experts who warn the measures may be easy to evade and hard to enforce. The story.
—It's all gone pear shaped again, innit. After months of speculation, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer officially resigned on Monday morning in an address to the country outside 10 Downing Street. With his resignation, Starmer becomes the sixth British prime minister to resign since the seismic, and ultimately ruinous, Brexit referendum vote on June 2016. The story.
—"I think everyone wants to see another one." Hollywood descended on the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Monday. THR's Georg Szalai report that veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Apple's senior VP of services Eddy Cue discussed plans for a sequel to the huge box office F1: The Movie as well as Apple's upcoming Joseph Kosinski directed UFO conspiracy thriller. The recap.
—"I understand why people have questions and are suspicious." Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Sophia Bush are among the Hollywood actors jumping to defend their involvement with billionaire oligarch Peter Thiel‘s mysterious Dialog group, assuring fans that they do not know the controversial conservative political activist and that the meetings are not “a single ideological gathering." "At the Dialog conferences I’ve been to, there were a wide variety of people, with a wide variety of opinions, some I agreed with, some I didn’t," wrote Gordon-Levitt on Instagram. The story.
—"He's a raised-by-4chan edgelord bully." Halsey let loose on Anthony Fantano on Sunday night, describing the popular YouTube music critic as an “edgelord bully” and suggesting that her “least memorable song will be remembered more fondly and for more time than anything you ever do with your life will be.” After Fantano faced backlash on social media this weekend for his supposed biased towards female artists, Halsey weighed in to settle some scores over the critic's withering review of her 2024 album The Great Impersonator. The story.
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James Burrows 1940 - 2026
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►"For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history." James Burrows, the 11-time Emmy Award winner and prolific television director known for his Midas touch when it came to sitcoms, has died. He was 85. Son of an acclaimed playwright, Burrows got his start on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and went on to co-create Cheers and helmed all 246 episodes of Will & Grace during its two runs. He also directed 75 episodes of Taxi, 49 episodes of Mike & Molly, 32 episodes of Frasier, 15 episodes of Friends and all 10 episodes of 2025’s Mid-Century Modern. The obituary.
—"We lost a giant today, a mentor to me and a dear friend." The TV world is mourned the death of James Burrows on the weekend. The likes of Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Jon Bernthal, Tony Danza, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman were among the Hollywood stars to pay tribute to Burrows. "The 800 lb gorilla of television comedy for fifty years, he was beloved by everyone, and has left not a mark but a footprint. An incredible legacy," McCormack wrote on Instagram. The reaction.
—"America’s greatest and most prolific exporter of the world of laughter and joy." In a guest column for THR, NBC exec Warren Littlefield, who first met James Burrows in 1979 and presided over NBC Entertainment from 1991 through 1998, offers his own personal tribute to the legendary TV director. The column.
—"No figure in the past 50 years was more responsible for the look, feel, tone and rhythms of television comedy." THR's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg reflects on James Burrows' long and prolific career in television, trying mightily to accurately convey the importance of influence of the filmmaker on the small screen. The critic's appreciation.
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'Love Island USA' Casa Amor Cast Revealed
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►Let the ultimate test begin! Across Sunday and Monday, Peacock is revealing the new Islanders joining season eight of the hit dating reality show Love Island USA as Casa Amor is set to get underway on Monday night. Casa Amor, which occurs midway through the season, sees the original girl and boy Islanders separated into two different villas. That’s when a new group of single Islanders enters both villas to test the separated couples. The lineup.
—"Sadly we are living in a different time in our industry." Amazon‘s Prime Video has opted not to renew the animated series Kevin, about a cat who moves into a pet rescue in Queens after his humans break up and bonds with the other animals, according to co-creator Aubrey Plaza. Plaza shared the news on Instagram on Saturday, calling the decision “very disappointing since we were just getting going.” The story.
—Pippi posting. StudioCanal is developing a Pippi Longstocking animated TV series with David Heyman’s Heyday Films, Submarine and The Astrid Lindgren Company. Screenwriter Sara Daddy is at work on a script for the series based on Pippi Longstocking, the famously super-strong, energetic and kind girl with the red pigtails from the classic Astrid Lindgren book series. The story.
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Netflix Wins 'Sesame Street' Movie Rights
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►Elmo picks a side. Coming on top of a two-company bidding war, Netflix has landed the feature film rights to Sesame Street, the long-running and iconic children’s educational television show. Rideback, the production company behind the billion-dollar live-action Lilo & Stitch and Aladdin movies, and run by Jonathan Eirich and Michael Lofaso, will produce the feature. The company had already been working with Sesame Workshop, the company behind the show, on an animation project, and was able to get an early jump. Sesame Workshop will be involved in a producer capacity as well. The story.
—All set. The Venice Film Festival has finalized the international jury for its 83rd edition. Joining jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal to pick this year’s Golden Lion winner are Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To, French director Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, British composer Daniel Blumberg and film scholar Francesco Casetti. The story.
—🎠Gru-casfilm. 🎠George Lucas is lending his voice for a character in Minions & Monsters, the latest film in Illumination’s Despicable Me franchise. In a new interview, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri revealed that the Star Wars creator joined the animated feature, which opens in theaters July 1, after sharing his longtime admiration for the studio’s movies. The story.
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Netflix, Focus Pass on Guadagnino's OpenAI Film
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►Keeping their heads down. Both Netflix and Focus Features have passed on acquiring Luca Guadagnino‘s Artificial movie after the nearly-completed film was abruptly dropped by Amazon MGM Studios. Meanwhile, A24 is said to have screened the film but its standing in the race to acquire the Sam Altman–OpenAI comedic drama remains unclear. Sources are saying that Mubi is looking at the project. The story.
—🎠Filled out. 🎠Bad Fairies, the animated musical from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Locksmith Animation, has expanded its cast, adding rising actor Serrana Su-Ling Bliss, comedian James Acaster and prolific voice performer Dee Bradley Baker. The trio join previously announced stars Cynthia Erivo and Ncuti Gatwa in the subversive fairy tale adventure from directors Megan Nicole Dong and Olivier Staphylas. The story.
—Straight out of Annecy. Popular online animator Vivienne Medrano, aka “VivziePop,” creator of the musical series Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, has signed on to write and direct her first theatrical film. Prehistoria, from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, is described as a “fossil fantasy animated musical” Prehistoria will be an original project, set outside Medrano’s popular “Hellaverse” universe. The story.
—More from France! Paris-based production company Good Hero has greenlit a sequel to its 2016 animated hit Ballerina (aka Leap!), a family-friendly feature about a 19th century orphan who pursues her dreams of becoming a ballet star in Paris. Good Hero announced the sequel at the Annecy animated film festival on Monday, saying it was part of a plan to expand the Ballerina franchise across film, television and digital platforms. The story.
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'HOTD' S3 Premiere Casualty Speaks Out
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►"Such a cool way to go." For THR, Josh Wigler who talks to the latest series regular to leave HBO's fantasy series House of the Dragon, who tells all about those final days on set for one last climactic showdown. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I found the notion of the hum, metaphorically, quite haunting." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Rebecca Hall about her BBC/Starz miniseries The Listeners. The BAFTA-nominated actress also discusses her exit from the Godzilla x Kong franchise and dives into her guest spot on Apple's The Studio — as a rare name not to play themselves. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I’m still that 25-year-old needy actor." THR's Mia Galuppo spoke to Toy Story 5 voice actor Tony Hale. The Emmy winner discusses his return to the world of Pixar as audience favorite, Forky, the spork with existential angst and a heart of gold. The interview.
In other news...
—Atlantic Rhapsody takes top prize at Shanghai Film Festival
—L.A.’s most luxurious post-facelift staycations
—Dua Lipa shares first photos of her custom Chanel wedding dress
—Anne Hathaway expecting third child with husband Adam Shulman
—Concertgoer dies after fall at Madison Square Garden
—Casey LaLonde, grandson of Joan Crawford, dies at 54
What else we're reading...
—Stephen Castle offers a portrait of Andy Burnham, the likely next prime minister of the U.K. [NYT]
—Bradley Olson and Tina Li report on comments from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella that Big AI should be stopped from eating the whole economy [WSJ]
—Zoe Kleinman writes that the U.K. social media ban for u-16s is about so much more than social media [BBC]
—Ann Lee has a great oral history on the making of Labyrinth, the classic David Bowie movie that is 40 this year [Guardian]
—Eliza Griswold talks to teens involved with Turning Point USA's youth group Club America and how it has evolved since Charlie Kirk's death [New Yorker]
Today...
...in 2001, Universal revved up one of its most lucrative franchises, bringing The Fast and the Furious to theaters. The film, a breakout for Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, grossed $200m worldwide. The original review.
Today's birthdays...
Meryl Streep (77), Amy Brenneman (62), Bruce Campbell (68), Donald Faison (52), Joaquim Dos Santos (49), Cyndi Lauper (73), Thompson Chow (64), Tracy Pollan (66), Mary Lynn Rajskub (55), Michael Trucco (56), Lindsay Wagner (77), Joe Dempsie (39), Douglas Smith (41), Karla Crome (38), Portia Doubleday (38), Randy Couture (63), Laya DeLeon Hayes (22), Nicholas Lea (64), Tim Russ (70), Uwe Boll (61), Paterson Joseph (62), Alicia Goranson (52), Stephany Jacobsen (46), Jai Rodriguez (47), Porsha Williams (45), Murphy Cross (76)
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Janie Sell, a veteran of Broadway musicals who received a Tony Award in 1974 for her spirited turn opposite The Andrews Sisters in the patriotic Over Here!, has died. She was 86. The obituary.
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