The Odyssey Hits $258M, Emmys Lose Five Categories, and Hollywood Hunts Gen Z
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey dominates the global box office as the Emmys face guild backlash, streaming audiences age, and Hollywood races to sign the next breakout creator.
The big screen
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey turned a Greek myth into the week's biggest Hollywood story, while the Emmys picked a fight with the guilds and streamers kept chasing both creators and older viewers. Here are 12 fresh developments from July 13 through July 19.
1. The Odyssey opens like a Nolan event
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is tracking to an estimated $120.5 million in the U.S. and Canada and $257.8 million worldwide, including $137.3 million from 73 overseas markets. That makes it Nolan's biggest global opening, and its A CinemaScore gives the nearly three-hour epic a sturdy launch beyond the premium-format sellouts. Read more ↗
2. Moana holds, while the franchise crowd keeps cashing in
Disney's live-action Moana is estimated at $18.8 million in its second domestic weekend, bringing its total to $81.8 million, while Minions & Monsters adds about $14 million for $136.7 million and Toy Story 5 takes roughly $13.8 million to reach $429.9 million. The new Nolan juggernaut did not erase the rest of the marketplace, but it made the size of those holdover totals much easier to see. Read more ↗
3. Hollywood is bidding for its next Gen Z horror hit
Backrooms director Kane Parsons is being courted by Warner Bros., HBO, Universal and A24 after his $10 million film became A24's top-grossing movie ever, with $374 million worldwide reported through July 17. The scramble follows similar bidding around Obsession filmmaker Curry Barker and viral properties such as Siren Head, turning YouTube-born horror into a serious talent pipeline. Read more ↗
TV and streaming
4. The World Cup is rewriting the U.S. TV scoreboard
Fox averaged 15.64 million viewers across the four World Cup quarterfinals, up 150 percent from 2022, while Telemundo and Peacock averaged 10.4 million, up 154 percent. England-Norway led the cross-platform totals with 34.8 million U.S. viewers, a reminder that live sports can still pull huge audiences across broadcast, cable and streaming at once. Read more ↗
5. Streaming's audience is getting older
Netflix's The Boroughs drew about 4.05 billion U.S. viewing minutes in its first four weeks, with viewers over 50 accounting for 57 percent of its premiere-week total. Nielsen data cited by THR also found that viewers 50 and older supplied at least 60 percent of watch time for Landman, The Night Agent, The Lincoln Lawyer and Virgin River in the first quarter, giving streamers an audience profile that looks much less youth-only than the old stereotype. Read more ↗
6. The Emmys move five categories off the main telecast
The Television Academy is moving writing for a variety series, writing and directing for a limited or anthology series or movie, and supporting actor and actress in that field from the September 14 Primetime Emmy broadcast to the Creative Arts ceremonies. DGA, WGA and SAG-AFTRA called the change a move that "devalues" the artists being honored, setting up an awards-season fight before the telecast even arrives. Read more ↗
Deals and projects
7. The WGA sues to stop Paramount's $110 billion merger
The Writers Guild of America East and West filed a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Paramount Skydance's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The guild says a combined company would reduce writing opportunities, pay and working conditions, while Paramount argues that its promised output and 45-day theatrical windows would expand jobs. Read more ↗
8. God of War needs a new Kratos
Prime Video will recast Kratos after Ryan Hurst tore his bicep during a stunt, an injury that paused production and requires surgery and a long recovery. The series already has a two-season commitment, but four filmed episodes are headed for extensive reshoots under showrunner Ronald D. Moore. Read more ↗
9. Crystal Lake sets its campfire date
Peacock's Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake will premiere all eight roughly hour-long episodes on October 15, with Linda Cardellini playing Pamela Voorhees. The A24 series starts before Jason's legend, following Pam after her son's drowning and a pair of strangers who begin digging into her past. Read more ↗
10. Jessica Alba joins Netflix's 13 Going on 30 reboot
Jessica Alba has joined Netflix's reboot of the 2004 rom-com alongside Emily Bader, Logan Lerman and Adeline Rudolph, though her role and the new film's story are still under wraps. Production began in Los Angeles last month, with Jennifer Garner, the original movie's star, returning as an executive producer. Read more ↗
11. Colman Domingo is developing a new Tiana story
Colman Domingo is in talks to co-write an original live-action feature inspired by Disney's The Princess and the Frog with Slave Play director Robert O'Hara. The project is being described as a spinoff focused on Princess Tiana rather than a straight remake, and it remains in the early deal stage. Read more ↗
12. Lena Headey revisits the Game of Thrones backlash
Lena Headey said she was shocked by the anger over her use of a body double for Cersei's Season 5 walk of shame, arguing that performing the scene nude with thousands of extras would have undercut the emotional work. In the same interview, she criticized Hollywood's "weird protection" of predatory men and said the #MeToo movement made the industry's pattern impossible to ignore. Read more ↗
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