Happy Thursday, folks!

A quick reminder before I get started today — I have a MERCH STORE! I’ve got hats, sweatshirts, t-shirts, stickers, and more! Heck, I can make you InSneider-branded anal beads, if that’s what floats your boat. Click on the link above and be the coolest-looking person in your next Zoom meeting.

Anyway, I’m back in Los Angeles following three weeks in Boston with the family, and not more than eight hours after I got home, I was in a movie theater watching Olivia Wilde’s The Invite, which lived up to the hype and proved to be an absolutely devastating portrait of love and marriage. The final 15 minutes hit me like a punch in the gut, and I sobbed through the entire credits. Bravo, I say!

The adapted screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack is an absolute lock for an Oscar nomination, and the performers will all be in the conversation as well, though I must say… I was most impressed by Wilde, which is not something I thought I’d say. Everyone was excellent, but she blew me away with her work both in front of and behind the camera. It’s a remarkable comeback following the muddled mess that was Don’t Worry Darling. I can’t wait to see what Wilde does next…

Anyway, this morning, I saw Deadline report that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is looking at a domestic opening between $180 million and $190 million, per (useless) tracking services, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Right now, the new Spider-Man movie is actually poised to open between $225 million and $245 million, but that figure is steadily rising. Could Brand New Day somehow top the $260.1 million that Spider-Man: No Way Home opened to in 2021? Yes, possibly...

I think that Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is a significant draw here, and while the terminally online have a good idea of who she’s likely playing, I have to commend Sony and Marvel for maintaining the mystery officially, at least as far as the film’s marketing goes. There’s a curiosity factor in play here that rarely exists when it comes to comic book movies, whose trailers tend to give away everything but the cameos, and I think people are going to want to scratch that itch.

Likewise, I think people are curious as to what this movie is really up to, and what it’s ultimately about. It’s wild that I, Jeff Sneider, film reporter extraordinaire, am in the dark on that front. I’m open to being pleasantly surprised regarding the story, though it wouldn’t surprise me if this movie had no story, like so many other Marvel movies.

I do think there’s a bit of comic book movie fatigue out there, but naturally, the quoted “experts” are all wrong about why. I recently saw one quote about how Gen Z doesn’t care about comic book movies, but I think the performance of Brand New Day will show that they do care about comic book movies — they’re just a more discerning audience than Millennials. So despite that fatigue, there actually is pent-up demand for real comic book movie events, which Brand New Day certainly qualifies as.

Likewise, I think that The Odyssey coming out two weeks before this movie is both a benefit and a drawback. On one hand, I think a hit like The Odyssey gets people excited to come back to a movie theater. If people have a good experience, they typically try to repeat that experience. However, I worry that the proximity of Brand New Day’s release to The Odyssey could hurt the new Spider-Man movie — not that the franchise hasn’t overcome competition in the past en route to setting box office records. I’m just trying to explain why Brand New Day might not open to No Way Home numbers.

Keep in mind that audiences were frothing at the mouth to return to theaters after more than a year of being cooped up at home due to the pandemic, and No Way Home gave people the excuse they needed to finally get off their couches and brave the real world again — at least to some extent.

Will Tom Holland’s fourth solo outing as Spidey feel a bit “been there, done that,” or will audiences see it as a vital prelude to Avengers: Doomsday, which is slated to release its first trailer later this month following its debut at San Diego Comic-Con? We’ll see in just a few short weeks… when Holland’s stock will be sky-high in the wake of his turn as Telemachus in The Odyssey.

And now for something that isn’t “odd to see” at all here at The InSneider — another exclusive! And a DC Studios one, at that. But only premium subscribers can continue reading.

What are you waiting for? An invitation from the Queen? This is it, my friends…

Happy Wednesday, folks!

I’ve got a red-hot DC rumor this morning, but only premium subscribers can continue reading. Lucky them, right?

Happy Tuesday, folks!

After a lovely vacation with the fam, including a couple of days down the Cape, I’m back from the holiday break with a cool update.

Three years ago, Daniel Richtman reported on a new Ali G movie from English provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen that was either in the works or had been in the works prior to the dual strikes of 2023. I’m hearing that such a project has now been completed. It’s unclear whether the new Ali G movie is being shopped to buyers right now or if it already has a home, but it’s my understanding that it’s in the can.

Cohen was reportedly spotted in character in and around Oxfordshire, England, in July and September of 2025, though I believe Ali G also spends a good deal of time in the circus that is America in this mysterious new project, which remains untitled and has no release date as of now. A representative for Cohen declined to comment on Monday.

This weekend, I finished reading John Wainwright’s 1979 novel Brainwash, which isn’t the sort of book I typically read (it was very British), but I really liked it, and I think I’m going to dive into more of Wainwright’s bibliography in the months ahead.

Brainwash led me to watch the 1981 French film Garde à Vue (aka The Inquisitor, aka The Grilling) and another adaptation, the 2000 thriller Under Suspicion, starring Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. Under Suspicion was ultimately better thanks to its two leads, who really sink their teeth into the material, but it’s 25 minutes longer than Garde à Vue, and it would’ve benefited from a more judicious edit.

As for the weekend box office, I’m not going to pour any more salt in Supergirl’s wound, but you should head to THR for a thoughtful post-mortem from Borys Kit. I’m more interested in the underperformance of Minions and Monsters, which grossed just $61.4 million at the domestic box office over the 5-day weekend, and whether Universal is starting to panic about The Odyssey, as clearly, there are folks with an axe to grind when it comes to Christopher Nolan’s epic, which has become a target of small-minded conservatives.

Today brings the final entries from the 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer — a pretty interesting document that I have shared in its entirety in recent weeks.

The same preamble applies. This is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks based on reporting. That said, I’m “sharing” this stuff more than I am “reporting” it, and I offer my own analysis below as well.

Keep in mind that studio mandates change week-to-week, if not day-to-day, but generally speaking, this document has been spot-on, based on the feedback I’ve received.

Today’s focus is on Apple, Netflix, Amazon, United Artists, and Amazon AI Creative Studio. Premium subscribers may now continue reading…

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Happy Tuesday, folks!

This weekend, Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl tanked at the box office, grossing $37 million Stateside. Yikes! This is the last shot I’ll take at James Gunn on this issue, but maybe don’t talk about how you only plan to greenlight great scripts, since we all know that the odds of anyone being 100% from the field are zero, because no one has a perfect track record in this town. Again, a little humility goes a long way with fans, and Gunn’s critics won’t be able to shove such quotes in his face if he stops giving them.

To be clear, I’d like to reiterate that I’m not worried about the overall health of the DCU, as Clayface is going to be a big hit in just four short months from now. And I know that can be a long wait for an exec on the perceived hot seat, but Gunn has weathered fiercer storms before. He’ll be just fine…

Anyway, I didn’t see Supergirl over the weekend. Instead, I took my two young nieces to see Toy Story 5 (another winner from Pixar), I showed my old man M. Night Shyamalan’s masterpiece Unbreakable (he didn’t understand the twist ending), and I watched Vincent Grashaw’s indie crime movie Gangland all by my lonesome.

The latter film stars Lou Diamond Phillips as a tribal cop trying to keep the peace and stop the deadly cycle of violence on a rural Indigenous reservation where gangs have run amok. Phillips is his typically sturdy self in the role, and the supporting cast lends authenticity to the suspenseful proceedings.

Due in select theaters and on VOD on July 10, Gangland is another really well-observed tale from Grashaw, whose career I’ve followed since he co-produced, co-edited, and co-starred in the 2011 indie Bellflower. Since then, he has really made a name for himself as an indie filmmaker, leaving me impressed with both his terrifying feature directorial debut, Coldwater, and 2024’s Tim Blake Nelson vehicle, Bang Bang.

Gangland’s original title was Keep Quiet, and I won’t be keeping quiet today, as I have the latest pages from the 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer — a pretty interesting document that I’ve been sharing in its entirety in recent weeks.

The same preamble applies. This is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks based on reporting. That said, I’m “sharing” this stuff more than I am “reporting” it, and I offer my own analysis below as well.

Keep in mind that studio mandates change week-to-week, if not day-to-day, but generally speaking, this document has been spot-on, based on the feedback I’ve received.

This series will conclude with a bang later this week — Amazon MGM, Amazon AI Creative Studio, United Artists, Apple, and Netflix — though I may split that issue into two parts, just to milk this thing — because it’s Hollywood, baby! No one does it better…

However, today, I focus on eight indie studios — A24, The Arena, Artists Equity, Fifth Season, Legendary Miramax, Studiocanal, and Working Title. If you’re wondering where Neon or MUBI are, they weren’t included in the document, so they have been spared — this time. Mwahahaha…

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Happy Friday, folks!

I’d like to begin with a note of kudos to Universal and Christopher Nolan, who have decided not to screen The Odyssey for so-called influencers, who, I assure you, don’t move the needle in any way, shape, or form. Most of them are annoying industry parasites whose reviews can’t be trusted because they’re largely bought and paid for.

I hate to be accused by the kiddos of “gatekeeping,” but it’s high time that studios abandon this practice and get back to screening their films for professionals who show up to reckon with a piece of art, not take photos of the screen for clout.

Anyway, last night, I paid to see Jackass: Best and Last, and I fucking loved it. I was smiling from ear to ear pretty much the entire time. No one has sacrificed more for their art than Johnny Knoxville and Co. For 25 years, they’ve laid their bodies on the line for our amusement, and I can’t thank them enough for making me laugh over and over again since I was a teenager. They did it with the dumbest shit imaginable, and it worked because it was clear how much love there was among that group of merry pranksters. See this movie!

I haven’t seen DC’s Supergirl movie, and to be honest, I’m not so sure that I will in the wake of the terrible reviews. I have to say, I think this humbling experience will serve as a valuable lesson for DC boss James Gunn, not that I think he’s to blame, since he didn’t write or direct Supergirl and has stayed out of the marketing. But ultimately, he’s responsible for this comic book universe.

I do think that DC’s Clayface movie is going to be a giant hit this fall, so Gunn’s instincts will prove right on that front, especially at such a modest budget level. However, I fear that the takeaway from Supergirl will be a decision to focus strictly on the Big 3 going forward — Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, who is almost definitely being played by Adria Arjona in Man of Tomorrow, Maxima rumors be damned.

But that’s Tomorrow. Today, I have the latest pages from the 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer — a pretty interesting document that I’ve been sharing in its entirety.

Now, I want to be clear about a few things: this is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks based on reporting. That said, I’m “sharing” this stuff more than I am “reporting” it, and I offer my own analysis below as well.

Keep in mind that studio mandates change week-to-week, if not day-to-day, but generally speaking, this document has been spot-on, based on the feedback I’ve received.

Up next will be the town’s major indies — A24, Arena SNK, Artists Equity, Fifth Season, Legendary, Miramax, Studiocanal, Working Title — and the series will conclude with a bang — Amazon MGM, Amazon AI Creative Studio, United Artists, Apple, and Netflix. We’ll see if I break that last entry up into two parts, which would be a very Hollywood thing to do…

However, today, I focus on Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, and Lionsgate, which is coming off its biggest box office hit ever in Michael.

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Happy Wednesday, folks!

I’ve got a monster scoop this morning — one of the biggest movie rumors to ever hit the internet.

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Happy Monday, folks!

I hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend. I know the folks at Disney and Pixar did, as Toy Story 5 opened to $160 million at the domestic box office — a new record for the beloved animated franchise.

I’m waiting for the kiddie crowds to thin out before catching up with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. Instead, I saw Neon’s latest horror movie, Leviticus, this weekend, which I found a little underwhelming, if I’m being honest. It was okay, don’t get me wrong, and I think Stacy Clausen has got something, but I never really bought the central romance, and I thought the movie would be a whole lot scarier.

I still need to catch up with Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, but so far, Neon’s slate this year — Alpha, Hokum, I Love Boosters — has been pretty disappointing, and I’m doubtful that Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell will turn things around.

Here’s hoping that Neon’s Cannes titles, such as Hope, Fjord, and Paper Tiger, deliver the goods. I’m also looking forward to Chloe Domont’s thriller A Place in Hell, which is expected to debut at one of the fall festivals.

This weekend brings DC’s Supergirl, which should open to roughly half of what Superman grossed last summer ($125 million). Warner Bros. has to be hoping for north of $60 million, but there will be stiff competition for men thanks to Jackass: Best and Last, while A24 is dropping its buzzy Sundance sex comedy The Invite starring Seth Rogen. Plus, Netflix has a new John Cena-Eric Andre comedy, which could convince some teenage boys to stay home altogether.

I’ll be back soon with the next entry in my Studio Mandate series, but today, I’ve got a hot scoop about what could be the next huge horror movie a la Obsession…

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Happy Saturday, folks!

Last night, I spent an hour showing my family various movie trailers — they’re looking forward to Wildwood and the Brad Pitt movie Heart of the Beast — and today, I’m planning to check out a matinee showing of Leviticus, for which I have high hopes.

I’ll be back next week to wrap up my Studio Mandate series, which has been driving a ton of subscriptions, so thank you. I’ll also be dropping a hot casting scoop on Monday morning, too, so be sure to come back then!

For now, I’ve got a hot scoop about one of the world’s most beloved children’s properties.

That’s right… I can finally tell you how to get to Sesame Street — but only if you’re a premium subscriber. If not, do yourself a favor and take the plunge today!

Happy Wednesday, folks!

It was a game of musical chairs today in Hollywood, as Ryan Coogler moved his TV operations from Disney to Netflix, while Quinta Brunson moved her company from WB to Disney. WB walked away with nothing today, though I’m willing to sign a deal with the studio right now, just so they don’t feel left out.

Today, I assure you, they won’t.

See, last week, I received a 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer, and there was some pretty interesting info in the document, which I’m sharing in its entirety over the next several days.

Now, I want to be clear about two things: this is an external document compiled by an agency or management company, and I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks since I spent most of Wednesday afternoon fact-checking, etc.

Apparently, I was so good at it that — paging Dr. Seuss — I forced Survivor host Jeff Probst to post a video announcing a new animated Survivor movie that’s in the works at Paramount Animation, something I discussed with the studio’s publicist just hours earlier, as the document in question references said project.

Can you say frustrating?

Disney did not get a heads-up. Searchlight did not get a heads-up. 20th Century Studios did not get a heads-up, and I adore Steve Asbell. But if your PR peeps don’t play ball with The InSneider, then The InSneider does not play ball with your PR peeps. It’s as simple as that, really.

Yesterday, I played ball with Paramount, and it bit me in the ass… but don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you premium subscribers, since you deserve to be spoiled for all that you do… keeping me alive and such. I’m confident that I’ll kiss and make up with Paramount, but the bruise will linger all the same. Sigh…

Keep in mind that I’m not necessarily “reporting” any of this stuff, I’m merely “sharing” it. I offer my own analysis after, as well as some creative pitches that studio execs and producers should really consider. I know… my ego knows no bounds.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Paramount is on the verge of buying Warner Bros., after which, all bets are off. These mandates will be largely moot by that point, for as much as David Ellison has said he won’t mess too much with how WB operates, there’s no question that there will need to be more synergy between the two studios regarding the types of movies they’ll be making and when they’ll be released.

If I’m not mistaken, Paramount is projecting a July 15 date for closing the WB deal, though some continue to see that as an aggressive target. We’ll see…

We’ll also see which studios I’ll be writing about next, as I still don’t know myself.

But today, I focus on Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Skydance Sports, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, and New Line Cinema.

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Good afternoon, West Coast, and good evening to those on the East Coast.

Last week, I received a 19-page document listing Studio Mandates for this summer, and there was some pretty interesting info in the document, which I have decided to share in its entirety over the next several days.

Now, I want to be clear that I’m presenting these entries pretty much exactly how they are in the document, with a few formatting and content tweaks.

For example, there was a really juicy nugget in this external document about future TV plans for Star Wars, but, after checking in with insiders, I learned it was inaccurate, so I pulled it, as there’s no point in getting you nerds excited about something that, in all likelihood, isn’t going to happen.

Keep in mind that I’m not necessarily “reporting” any of this stuff, I’m merely “sharing” it. I offer my own analysis after, as well as some creative pitches that studio execs and producers should really consider. I know… my ego knows no bounds.

I don’t know which studios I’ll be writing about next, but I do know that if you’re a studio publicist who’s nervous about this document that’s making the rounds, give me a call, and I’m happy to discuss your studio’s real mandates, whatever they may be.

Those publicists who aren’t subscribed to this newsletter may pay the price for their foolish decision.

Today, I focus on Disney, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and Lucasfilm.

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Happy Tuesday, folks!

Y’know, I see my competitors doing mailbag issues where they answer questions from fans, so feel free to start sending in some questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them. You can reply directly to these emails — just do me a favor and change the subject line to ‘MAILBAG’ or put ‘MAILBAG’ at the start of your email.

I’m currently listening to the latest episode of The Rewatchables podcast, and I’m so curious what the stats are on various episodes. My podcast, The Hot Mic, isn’t nearly as popular, which is certainly understandable, as it caters to a tiny niche — people who really love development news, as opposed to the much larger basket of people who are fans of this or that movie.

A couple of weeks ago, The Rewatchables posted an episode about 2001: A Space Odyssey, and while I certainly respect Stanley Kubrick‘s sci-fi classic, it’s never been my cup of tea, and I had no plans to listen to a two-hour podcast about it. But this week, the gang is doing Curtis Hanson’s 1992 thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, a movie I’ve seen a dozen or so times, and I’m loving every second of it. That film is legitimately amazing, and it remains the single greatest depiction of what it’s like to have an asthma attack.

On the comics front, I just started reading Vertigo’s The Nice House on the Lake from writer James Tynion IV and artist Álvaro Martínez Bueno, and I’m also planning to read Incognito: Bad Influences by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, as well as Nick Drnaso’s Acting Class, which I bought ages ago and still haven’t touched. But I will correct that!

I’ll be back soon with that special I teased earlier, but for now, I wanted to share this scoop about a new Josie and the Pussycats movie.

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Happy Monday, folks — and surely, there’s no one happier than fans of the New York Knicks, who pulled off the most improbable comeback the NBA may ever see, ultimately winning their first NBA championship in more than 50 years on the strength of an overlooked, undersized shooting guard — Jalen Brunson — and on the road, no less.

16-1 in the playoffs is mighty impressive, and in the end, New York simply had more heart than all the other teams. They wanted it more, and they didn’t make stupid mistakes, which the young Spurs most certainly did during crunch time of these four losses.

I still don’t understand the violent impulse to destroy your own city when your team wins a major championship, but who am I to deny the people their small pleasures?

This weekend was a real rollercoaster, but I had a two-hour conversation with a beautiful actress, and I found time to read, so it’s hard to complain. I read Book 2 of The Beauty, which remains one of the best TV shows I’ve seen all year.

I also finished reading Jordan Harper’s new novel A Violent Masterpiece, which was a vivid, compelling slice of the dark side of L.A. life. The title, if you’re curious, refers to America, a beautiful nation that was nonetheless built on bloodshed. And yes, two of the characters are thinly veiled takes on Max Landis and Armie Hammer.

I’ve got a whole lot of stuff coming this week, but I’ve also got a busy day ahead of me, so I wanted to get this Twisted Metal scoop out while I still can. It seems that following a pair of Stephen King adaptations, the Force is once again strong with Mark Hamill…

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Happy Friday, folks!

Today is Disclosure Day… for The Batman Part II. Because everything you thought you knew about the movie… is wrong.

Also, here’s a QR code to my new merch store, created by my fabulously talented brother, Jon Sneider. You can order high-quality merch for The InSneider or my podcast, The Hot Mic, where my co-host John Rocha and I did an Alien Movie Draft yesterday in honor of Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day. Let me know who you think wound up with the better crop of alien movies…

Buy a freakin’ shirt or a hat for cryin’ out loud!

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Happy Thursday, folks!

Last night, I watched the new Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct, which I believe is under embargo until tomorrow, so I can’t tell you what I thought… but I can say, don’t read anything about this one. Just trust me and watch it blind. Don’t even watch the trailer linked above. Just thank me later.

Last night, I received a juicy document that I’m going to be sharing with you over the course of next week, so if you’re a writer or producer and you aren’t a premium subscriber for some reason, you may want to consider joining the club, as I plan to deliver a(nother) premium product soon enough.

For now, you’ll have to settle for this scoop about what the producers of Obsession are currently up to while basking in the warm glow of that film’s box office receipts.

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Happy Wednesday, folks!

This weekend, I rewatched Ang Lee’s 1997 drama The Ice Storm, which moved me to tears, as it so often does. It’s easy to forget how packed that movie is with talent — the kids and the adults — and not only does it remain one of Lee’s best films, but it’s nuts that we haven’t gotten one from him since 2019’s Gemini Man. I don’t care how badly that movie flopped, we need Ang Lee making movies again, god dammit!

Meanwhile, I’m going to out myself here as a big old softie, but I also cried watching Office Romance, the new Netflix movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Ted Lasso breakout Brett Goldstein. Office Romance is surprisingly good, and if we’re talking about the best performances of the year, don’t sleep on Betty Gilpin in this movie, as she really brings it and goes for broke. Goldstein is a very charming presence, and with that thatch of chest hair, I really think Marvel should be looking at him for the new Wolverine. As for J-Lo, she’s still got it, honey. Expect huge viewing numbers, as usual…

Elsewhere, there’s a rumor going around that Emma Stone is in talks to star in the Daniels’ new movie featuring Matt Damon. Now, I’ve heard the same rumor, I must admit, but I didn’t think there was much to it, given that Stone is about to start shooting Universal’s romantic comedy The Catch with Chris Pine and… Druski, sigh. Plus, if Stone is in talks, then why was it so important for Universal to find a movie star like Ryan Gosling or Damon to justify the film’s budget? Wouldn’t she justify it on her own?

We’ll see whether that one pans out, but I’m doubtful. I love SNL’s Ashley Padilla as Stone’s sister in The Catch, though!

Finally, there’s been an awful lot of chatter about who made what on Obsession, and TheWrap’s Umberto Gonzalez breaks down the numbers. He reports that Focus will walk away with $125 million, Capstone will take home $45-50 million, and producer Jason Blum made himself a cool $17 million by adding his name to the movie after it was already shot — more than director Curry Barker and the film’s actual producer, Haley Nicole Johnson.

Now, I’ve seen Blum catch shit for this online, but I have to give him credit — he did a hell of a job of helping to sell this movie and turn it into a bona fide event. The Blumhouse imprimatur means something to horror fans, and I think it helped legitimize this low-budget film in their eyes. It may be the easiest $17 million that Blum ever makes, but he made a smart deal for himself, and he certainly earned the money by elevating this film’s profile.

In fact, he may want to give the film’s embattled art director, Sally Choi, a raise, given how she helped keep the chatter going by fanning the flames on social media about her salary — $6700 after taxes for a month’s work, which isn’t bad at all, by the way.

I’ve talked to a bunch of industry folks about this, and we all pretty much settled on the same take.

I’m not sure what Choi was expecting. She took no risk whatsoever. If the movie had tanked or performed as expected, she wouldn’t have said a peep. But it becomes a juggernaut, and suddenly, the rate she agreed to two years ago is bullshit?

99 times out of 100, I’ll side with labor, but in this instance, Choi did a job and got paid for that job. She’s complaining about a bonus in the name of fairness, but since when did fairness have a place in Hollywood?

The biggest bonus I’ve ever received was a $100 Visa gift card from Variety. Maybe a $300 traffic bonus from TheWrap. A lot of people work on indie movies — or run websites, ahem — and never get paid at all.

Choi should be thanking her lucky stars that she has Obsession on her resume, as no one will ever be able to take that credit away from her, even though I do think she shot herself in the foot with her outburst on social media, as that movie might’ve opened a ton of doors for her, many of which may slam shut in the wake of her public tantrum.

Take it from me, Twitter’s not the place to make your stand. These matters are always better dealt with behind closed doors…

By the way, Capstone has said it’s going to spread the wealth among “the creative team,” though in industry speak, that typically means above-the-line players, not below-the-line. However, it’s possible that department heads may receive bonuses. Stay tuned…

Speaking of Obsession, CAA and WME may have passed on Barker back in the day, allowing him to sign with UTA, but believe me, there are war rooms of agents at CAA and WME strategizing how they can poach Barker from their crosstown rival. And if there aren’t, well, there probably should be, as he’s going to be booked for the foreseeable future.

As for the past, there was once an earlier version of Obsession where, like many A24 movies that Barker grew up watching, the writer-director kept us guessing whether everything was in Bear’s head or not — that’s what the director sets up with the pills early on. Ultimately, he was convinced to lean into the horrifying reality of the situation, and that decision appears to have paid off at the box office, where the film’s worldwide gross is at $230 million and headed toward $300 million. Incredible.

Today, I’ve got reviews of Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi movie Disclosure Day, Apple’s new Cape Fear series, and Season 3 of Euphoria, which, to its credit, went out with a bang, not a whimper.

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Happy Tuesday, folks!

While all the Hollywood hotshots were trying to score selfies with Taylor Swift at the premiere of Toy Story 5, DGA president Christopher Nolan was hammering out a four-year deal with the studios and streamers, aka the AMPTP. The news should have folks across the industry breathing a sigh of relief, as this town has suffered enough. The last thing it needed was the possibility of another strike looming…

I should have another newsletter coming tonight that’s full of reviews and hot takes about who got paid what on Obsession, but I wanted to give this Jerrod Carmichael rumor its own headline.

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Happy Sunday, folks!

Last night, I visited the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, where an all-female four-string quartet played Metallica’s greatest hits for an hour — and it was fucking awesome. I highly recommend checking out Candlelight Concerts, as they play all over the world.

This morning, I hit Barry’s Bootcamp, where I ran into fellow Movie Trivia Schmoedown alum Abby Freel, who is now an editor for New Rockstars. I hit Barry’s because I needed my ass whupped into shape, as it’s almost beach season here in Los Angeles, where it should start to get pretty hot pretty soon.

Speaking of which, there’s been a lot of chatter about Heat 2 lately, but the only chatter I’ve heard has concerned whether Leonardo DiCaprio will actually sign on for the sequel, which strikes some as a bad idea — especially since the book was a mixed bag.

DiCaprio is well known for engaging with various projects, only to walk away — he literally just did it with Damien Chazelle’s planned Evel Knievel movie — so while I do think he wants to work with the great Michael Mann, who is 83 years old, and I do think this pairing will ultimately come to fruition, I won’t exactly be shocked if it doesn’t.

But Mann needs a major star like DiCaprio to justify the budget here, so I still think Leo does the maestro a solid and winds up playing Older Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer’s character in the original 1995 classic). But I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that the simple fact that Leo is still “in talks” for the sequel and hasn’t decided what role he wants to play has to be cause for concern. To be fair, reps for both Amazon MGM and DiCaprio have denied that the actor has gotten cold feet, despite industry chatter.

Elsewhere, it was another big weekend at the box office, where Backrooms surpassed Marty Supreme to become A24’s highest-grossing movie of all time; Obsession became the highest-grossing feature in the history of Focus Features, in addition to posting the biggest 4th weekend ever for a horror movie, topping The Blair Witch Project; and Michael became the highest-grossing movie in Lionsgate’s history as it approaches $900 million worldwide. Oh, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie became the first movie of the year to pass the billion-dollar mark at the global box office. Yahoo!

Meanwhile, Paramount’s R-rated comedy Scary Movie posted the biggest opening weekend in franchise history with $55 million at the domestic box office, where He-Man’s Power Sword failed, as Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe failed to crack the $30 million mark. Surely, The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act took some of the wind out of its sails, as it opened above expectations with $21 million — another YouTube hit. The revolution is upon us, folks…

Tonight, I’ve got a hot scoop involving the NBA Finals — sort of.

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Happy Friday, folks!

It was a tough day for the “Henry Cavill for James Bond!” crowd, as hot off Guy Ritchie’s action movie In the Grey (yeesh), Cavill has signed on to star opposite Kevin Hart in a new spy-themed action-comedy that McG will direct for Netflix. So, yeah… if you think Cavill could still be Denis Villeneuve’s 007, think again!

In other news, the New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan believes that the mystery IP project that Kane Parsons mentioned on Matt Belloni’s The Town podcast is none other than Portal, based on the popular puzzle game. How appropriate for the creator of Backrooms, whose entire movie is one giant yellow puzzle!

At the box office, Scary Movie is off to a hot start for Paramount, which is looking at a domestic opening of $52 million, while Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe movie is looking soft with $31 million, but no surprise there.

No, the real “surprise” this weekend is the performance of The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act, which is looking at a $20 million opening over four days. Of course, if you read my piece on Backrooms and Obsession earlier this week, you wouldn’t be all that surprised, as I called this one almost exactly.

I’m still working on a few different reviews that I’ll do my best to publish ASAP, and waiting to hear back about a couple of scoops, too, but in the meantime, since it’s a sleepy Friday, let’s shake things up with a little Jason Bateman scoopage.

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Happy Thursday, folks!

It’s Pride Month, so I’m currently watching one of my favorite LGBTQ movies, The Birdcage. Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, and Hank Azaria are all fantastic in this classic 1996 comedy from director Mike Nichols and Elaine May. If you’ve never seen it, check it out this month, as it still holds up.

A quick kudos to Netflix for “pausing pre-production” on Antoine Fuqua’s $200 million Hannibal movie starring Denzel Washington, which strikes me as a bad bet. Who is the audience for this movie? Men want to see Denzel do Training Day-type shit, and women, who love Denzel, certainly don’t give a shit about him crossing the Alps.

This project never made any sense to me, and if Netflix is really smart, the streamer will simply pull the plug on this whole endeavor. Then, the question becomes whether Fuqua returns to direct the Michael sequel for Lionsgate, as he won’t be able to use Hannibal as an excuse. At this point, his best move may be running it back with Jaafar Jackson. Don’t stop ‘til you get enough, Antoine! Just keep the keys to the van handy…

I’m working on a few scoops and several different reviews for tomorrow, but in the meantime, I wanted to check in on Zorro, one of Hollywood’s oldest heroes, who has been entertaining audiences since Guy Williams starred in the TV series of the late 1950s.

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Happy Tuesday, folks!

On Sunday night, I watched the Euphoria finale, which had me on the edge of my couch. I plan to give the HBO series a proper eulogy later in the week, so hang tight.

Last night, I attended an AMC Screen Unseen screening of Lionsgate’s high-octane martial arts movie The Furious, which featured some pretty jaw-dropping action sequences, I must admit. The film lacks the style and brevity of The Raid, but it’s a fantastic fight film on its own, so if you’re looking to see lightning-fast fists of fury in action, check out The Furious when it hits theaters on June 12. Hopefully, the movie will open doors for veteran Japanese director/action choreographer Kenji Tanigaki.

I also watched Over Your Dead Body, a remake of The Trip from director Jorma Taccone and starring Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphant, and Juliette Lewis. I had a lot of fun with the gory movie, which is the best of the three films Weaving has led in the first half of this year. She also has Carolina Caroline hitting theaters this Friday, but sadly, the film isn’t quite on the level of writer-director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s earlier work.

Finally, a couple of buddies and I ventured out to theaters on Thursday night to see Kane Parsons’ A24 movie Backrooms, which opened to more than $80 million at the domestic box office this weekend. Its performance, coupled with the success of Curry Barker’s thriller Obsession, has led to a veritable tidal wave of headlines about the ascendance of YouTube directors in Hollywood, which is the subject of today’s newsletter.

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