Insidious Opens at $24M, National Treasure 3 Is 'Happening,' and Paramount Heads for Mediation
The Aug. 17–23 roundup pairs Sony's box-office one-two punch with a National Treasure sequel, fresh streaming and awards data, Meghan Markle casting talk, and the latest Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger turn.
Sony took the top two domestic spots in Saturday estimates, Disney moved National Treasure 3 back onto the board, and Paramount's $111 billion fight with Warner Bros. Discovery headed toward mediation. The Aug. 17–23 week also brought a new streaming leader, a final-season order, and a very public release-window mistake.
| Story | Lane | Reader signal |
|---|---|---|
| Insidious: Out of the Further and Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Box office | Sony takes the top two spots |
| Masters of the Universe | Streaming | Prime Video gets a No. 1 |
| National Treasure 3 | Sequel news | Disney says the script is real |
| Blue Eye Samurai | TV | The story gets a final season |
| Meghan Markle and The Gentlemen | Casting | Talks are still very early |
| 2026 LMGI Awards | Awards | One Battle After Another leads the film winners |
| Taylor Swift's Eras Tour: The Final Show | Celebrity and awards | Five Emmy nominations get a room visit |
| David Heyman and Amazon MGM | Deal | A major producer changes studio homes |
| Paramount–WBD merger | Industry | State AG mediation is set |
| Mutiny | Release strategy | An accidental stream hits theaters first |
| Michael Wright | Obituary | The Five Heartbeats actor dies at 70 |
Box office and streaming
1. Sony takes the top two spots
Insidious: Out of the Further was tracking to a $23.7 million domestic opening, while Spider-Man: Brand New Day was headed for $36.5 million in its fourth frame; both figures came from Deadline's Saturday estimates. The horror sequel played 3,303 theaters, and Spider-Man played 4,006 sites, giving Sony the weekend's top two movies before final actuals arrived.
2. Masters of the Universe finds its streaming audience
Masters of the Universe ranked No. 1 overall in Nielsen's U.S. streaming chart for July 20–26 with 1.17 billion viewing minutes on Prime Video, its first streaming week after a July 22 debut. The Big Bang Theory was the only other title above one billion minutes, with 1.12 billion on HBO Max; Nielsen counts TV-set viewing and excludes computers and mobile devices.
New projects and casting
3. National Treasure 3 finally gets a real script
Director Jon Turteltaub said National Treasure 3 is in development, with a script he likes that Disney has approved for production consideration. Release and start dates, along with official casting, remain unannounced, and Turteltaub still described the project as "Hollywood real" rather than locked.
4. Blue Eye Samurai has an ending in sight
Netflix renewed Blue Eye Samurai for a third and final season, while setting Season 2 for January 2027. Season 3 has already started production and is scheduled to arrive in 2028, giving Mizu's revenge story a planned finish.
5. Meghan Markle is in talks for The Gentlemen
Meghan Markle is in early talks to join Season 3 of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen, according to Deadline, while Netflix's renewal status remains pending and the role remains unspecified. Season 2 premieres Sept. 3, so the immediate news is a casting possibility rather than a completed deal.
Awards and people
6. Location managers pick their 2026 favorites
The 13th annual LMGI Awards gave film prizes to One Battle After Another and Marty Supreme, while Pluribus, Fallout Season 2, and Black Rabbit won the television categories. Vince Gilligan received the Eva Monley Award, adding a career honor to a night that also recognized the people who find and shape the places audiences remember.
7. Taylor Swift visits an Emmy voter event
Taylor Swift appeared in Los Angeles at an Emmy event supporting director Glenn Weiss and sound designer John Ross for The Eras Tour: The Final Show, which earned five nominations. Swift is nominated as both a producer and performer, and she spoke about preserving the concert's sense of escape for viewers outside the stadium.
8. Michael Wright, remembered for The Five Heartbeats, dies at 70
Michael Wright died in Los Angeles on Aug. 19 at 70, according to a statement from his family. His roles included Eddie King Jr. in The Five Heartbeats, as well as appearances in V, Oz, Sugar Hill, and The Principal.
Hollywood business and release strategy
9. David Heyman moves Heyday Films to Amazon MGM
Amazon MGM Studios closed a multi-year first-look film deal with David Heyman's Heyday Films, covering scripted and unscripted projects in live-action and animation. The pact excludes the upcoming Denis Villeneuve James Bond film, while Heyman leaves a roughly three-decade run of first-look relationships with Warner Bros.
10. Paramount and state AGs set a mediation date
Paramount representatives and the state attorneys general challenging its proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery are scheduled to meet on Aug. 24 under a court mediation process. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said any talks need "robust structural remedies," while Gov. Gavin Newsom said a settlement may be possible; the trial remains scheduled for March 2, 2027.
11. Amazon accidentally puts Mutiny online before theaters
Amazon briefly made Jason Statham's Mutiny available on Prime Video earlier in the week, days before Lionsgate's U.S. theatrical release. International buyers told Deadline the leak created piracy and compensation concerns around a film with a reported net budget above $50 million, while Amazon, Lionsgate, Statham's representatives, and the producers declined comment.
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