AMC hits 11.8M subs / "Last of Us" Nielsen #s / "Duster" to HBO Max / Starz and MGM+ bundle on Prime Video

Plus the weekend calendar, Amazon grabs "The Bluff," Adult Swim's "Royal Crackers," HBO "Rain Dogs" trailer, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network February 17, 2023

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AMC's "The Walking Dead" AMC Networks hit 11.8 million streaming subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2022 across its suite of niche services, including AMC+, Acorn TV, and Shudder. That's up from 11.1 million subscribers at the end of Q3. More: Streaming revenue jumped to $502 million, up 35% from the end of the previous quarter, while the company's overall revenue climbed to $965 million, besting expectations. TV ad sales slumped in Q4 but digital and advanced ad sales were slightly up. Kristin Dolan -- the wife of AMC's interim executive chairman James Dolan -- was named as the company's new CEO; James Dolan explained on a call to investors that the board selected her as the best candidate following an "extensive search." In November, AMC announced plans to lay off about 20% of its staff. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

According to Nielsen, HBO's "The Last of Us" was the sixth most-streamed show in the US during its first full week online. Though the show debuted at the very end of the previous week, its first full week of availability ran from January 16 to January 22; the show was streamed for 837 million minutes during that window. More: Nielsen only measures streaming viewership, so this doesn't account for people watching on the linear HBO cable network. Including its Sunday night premiere numbers, "The Last of Us" viewership is now slightly outpacing HBO's "House of the Dragon" during its first few weeks. According to HBO's figures, the first two "Last of Us" episodes averaged around 21.3 million total viewers apiece. Netflix's "That '90s Show" -- which premiered on January 19 -- racked up 1.59 billion minutes of viewing time during the same January 16-22 window; that was good enough for second place for the week, behind only Netflix's "Ginny & Georgia." DEADLINE

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WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 SHARPER: Psychological thriller from A24 and director Benjamin Caron ("Andor") starring Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan as a pair of con artists in New York taking on a family of billionaires. Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, and John Lithgow co-star. [Apple TV+] HELLO TOMORROW! Debut sci-fi comedy-drama series, set in a '50s-inspired retro-futuristic world, about a group of traveling salesman hawking timeshares on the moon. Billy Crudup, Hank Azaria, Haneefah Wood, and Alison Pill co-star. [Apple TV+] MAKE OR BREAK: The behind-the-scenes docuseries follows World Surf League pros as they compete for the championship title. Season 2 features Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, Filipe Toledo, Tatiana Weston-Webb, and others. [Apple TV+] CARNIVAL ROW: The fantasy drama series returns for a second season, which will also wrap up the story. It's set in an alternate version of Victorian England in which mythological beings (such as orcs and fairies) live alongside humans as an oppressed underclass. Cara Delevingne, Orlando Bloom, Tamzin Merchant, David Gyasi, and Karla Crome co-star. [Amazon] THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING: 2022 fantasy drama from co-writer/director George Miller ("Mad Max: Fury Road"), based on the short story "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye" by A.S. Byatt. Idris Elba stars as a djinn who's released from his bottle prison by a British scholar (Tilda Swinton) and then regales her with stories from throughout his long life. [Amazon] BOY FROM NOWHERE: War drama feature from The Philippines, inspired by actual events and shot guerilla style with non-professional actors. It follows the story of a young boy (Gary Jumawan) from a fishing village who's brainwashed and recruited to join a fictional rebel group as a child soldier. Balugto Necosia, Gary Jumawan, Nack Nack Abugyan, and Waway Saway co-star; SJ Finlay makes his directorial debut with the film. [Amazon] LA CABEZA DE JOAQUÍN MURRIETA: Spanish-language Western action series, based on legends and stories that have grown up around Murrieta, a notorious Gold Rush-era miner and outlaw sometimes called "the Robin Hood of Mexico." Juan Manuel Bernal stars as Murrieta; Alejandro Speitzer co-stars as his right-hand man, Carillo. [Amazon] ANIMANIACS: Hulu's revival of the beloved '90s cartoon series -- an homage to the style and tone of classic Looney Tunes shorts -- returns for a third and final season this weekend. The voice cast includes Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, and Frank Welker. [Hulu] ANIMAL CONTROL: Debut Fox sitcom centered on a group of animal control workers, starring Joel McHale as an ex-cop who was fired for attempting to expose corruption in his department. Vella Lovell, Grace Palmer, Ravi Patel, and Michael Rowland co-star. New episodes air Thursday nights on TV and hit Hulu on Fridays. [Hulu] MY YEAR OF DICKS: Animated short from FX Productions, based on a chapter in Pamela Ribon's memoir "Notes to Boys (And Other Things I Shouldn't Share in Public)." The film follows a 16-year-old girl in 1991 who's determined to lose her virginity; different styles of animation are used to explore each of her potential crushes. It's nominated for Best Animated Short at this year's Academy Awards. [Hulu] ACCIDENT MAN: HITMAN'S HOLIDAY: 2022 direct-to-VOD action-comedy, following up on the 2018 film "Accident Man." Scott Adkins returns as hitman Mike Fallon, an expert at making his assassinations look like accidents. He's on a new quest to protect the life of a mob boss' son while also looking out for his only friend. Ray Stevenson, Perry Benson, Sarah Chang, and George Fouracres co-star. [Hulu] GAME OF LOVE: 2022 romantic drama -- a follow-up to the 2021 film "Time Is Up" -- starring Bella Throne as an American who travels to Italy with her boyfriend Roy (Benjamin Mascolo), then discovers some troubling secrets about his past. "Time Is Up" writer/director Elisa Amoruso returned for the sequel. [Hulu] ROGUE AGENT: 2022 thriller film from the UK, based on the true story of conman Robert Hendry-Freegard, who posed as an MI5 agent and fooled several people into going into hiding, among other scams. James Norton and Gemma Arterton co-star; Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn ("The Salisbury Poisonings") co-wrote and directed. [Hulu] THE WOMAN KING: 2022 period action drama feature, set in the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1820s. Viola Davis stars as General Nanisca, who trains and leads an all-female unit of powerful warriors known as the Agojie. Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega co-star; Gina Prince-Bythewood directed. [Netflix] A GIRL AND AN ASTRONAUT (DZIEWCZYNA I KOSMONAUTA): Sci-fi drama from Poland starring Jedrzej Hycnar as Nico, an astronaut who mysteriously returns from space after a 30-year disappearance without having aged. As the world attempts to unlock his secret, Nico remains singularly focused on reuniting with his lost love, Marta (Magdalena Cielecka). [Netflix] COMMUNITY SQUAD (DIVISIÓN PALERMO): Spanish-language crime comedy feature from Argentina, about a misfit civilian patrol squad pulled together to improve the image of the local police who immediately get in way over their heads. Augustín Rittano, Carlos Belloso, Charl López, and Daniel Hendler co-star. [Netflix] GANGLANDS (BRAQUEURS: LA SÉRIE): French action-crime series, based on the 2015 film "Braqueurs," starring Sami Bouajila as Mehdi, the leader of an experienced heist crew. Season 2 debuts today on Netflix in the US. [Netflix] UNLOCKED: Thriller film from South Korea, starring Chun Woo-hee as a woman who loses her smartphone, then discovers the man who found it (Im Si-wan) is using it to follow her every move. Kim Tae-joon makes his directorial debut with the film. [Netflix] THE 12th VICTIM: Four-part true-crime docuseries from Showtime, taking a fresh look at the infamous 1958 crime spree in which teens Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate were accused of brutally killing 11 victims. The new series uses both archival footage and re-enactments to examine Fugate's actual role in the killings. Morgan Neville ("Won't You Be My Neighbor") executive produced. [Showtime] J-HOPE IN THE BOX: Music documentary following the K-pop star and BTS vet as he records his first solo album, "Jack in the Box." The film also includes footage from J-Hope's 2022 performance at Lollapalooza, the festival's first headlining set by a Korean artist. [Disney+] MAKING THE WISH: DISNEY'S NEWEST CRUISE SHIP: This special from National Geographic takes a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of Disney's latest cruise ship, which was completed at a 200-year-old shipyard on Germany's North Sea. [Disney+] JOSH JOHNSON: UP HERE KILLING MYSELF: The New York comedian's new Peacock comedy special takes the form of a public therapy session, and finds him discussing his relationship with his father, growing up without money in Louisiana, and what it's like to have a stalker. [Peacock] THE GREATEST @HOME VIDEOS: The clip series compiles funny videos originally posted by members of the public to YouTube, TikTok, and other apps and websites. A special episode, featuring all new videos, airs Friday night at 8 pm ET on CBS and streams on Paramount+. Cedric the Entertainer hosts. [Paramount+] POOR DEVIL (POBRE DIABLO): Debut adult animated comedy series from Spain, about the Devil's rebellious teenage son who rejects his father's dark plans for humanity. Joaquín Reyes, Ernesto Sevilla, Ignatius Farray, Gakian, and Stéphanie Magnin co-star. [HBO Max] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 WELCOME TO VALENTINE: In this original romantic comedy feature from Hallmark, Olivia (Kathryn Davis) is so desperate to get back to her hometown in Nebraska following a bad break-up, she agrees to take a road trip there along with a total stranger, George (Markian Tarasiuk). [Peacock] SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER: The late-night news commentary and comedy series returns to HBO and HBO Max for a 10th season this weekend. Each episode features host Oliver taking a deep dive on a single topic. [HBO Max] WHEN TRUTH ISN'T TRUTH: THE RUDY GIULIANI STORY: Four-part docuseries from MSNBC Films and TIME Studios, chronicling the life and career of the former New York mayor and legal advisor to Donald Trump. The series features interviews with a number of insiders and experts, including Giuliani's own son, Andrew. [Peacock] SLAYERS: 2022 indie horror-comedy about a group of social media influencers who show up for what they think is an exclusive party at a billionaire's mansion, then discover they've actually been trapped by a bloodthirsty vampire. Thomas Jane, Abigail Breslin, Malin Akerman, Kara Hayward, Jack Donnelly, and Lydia Hearst co-star. [Hulu] WHINDERSSON NUNES: PREACHING TO THE CHOIR (ISSO NÃO É UM CULTO): The irreverent Brazilian comedian returns with a new special dedicated to material on social media and religion in the internet age. [Netflix]

Hilson and Holloway HBO Max ordered a first season for the crime drama series "Duster" from J.J. Abrams' company, Bad Robot. Abrams co-created the series and co-wrote the first two episodes along with "Into the Badlands" and "Walking Dead" vet LaToya Morgan. More: The series is set the American Southwest in 1972, and stars Rachel Hilson as America's first Black female FBI agent. Josh Holloway -- who previously worked with Abrams on "Lost" -- co-stars as a gutsy getaway driver who helps Hilson's agent take down a crime syndicate. "Duster" was one of several Bad Robot projects announced along with the HBO Max platform in April 2020; the other series -- including the sci-fi drama "Demimonde," an adaptation of DC Comics' "Justice League Dark," and the "Shining" spinoff "Overlook" -- have all been scrapped. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Starz's "Outlander" The Starz and MGM+ streaming services are now available as a packaged bundle via Amazon Prime Video's Channels platform. Both services together cost a combined $11.99 per month, a 20% savings over signing up for each of them individually. More: Starz owner Lionsgate has been rebranding the cable network and streaming option as a "complementary service to general entertainment offerings." Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer recently spoke positively about the industry's move toward bundling services together, noting the combined power of "Paramount+ with Showtime" and "HBO Max and Discovery+." Until recently, MGM+ was known as Epix. Starz offers original series including "Outlander," "Power," "P-Valley," and the upcoming "Party Down" revival; MGM+ originals include "Godfather of Harlem," "A Spy Among Friends," and "War of the Worlds." HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Amazon grabbed the international rights to the action-survival movie "The Bluff" from "Extraction" producers Joe and Anthony Russo. Zoe Saldaña stars as a former pirate-turned-mother in the 19th Century Caribbean whose past comes back to haunt her. More: The film was originally set up at Netflix before moving over to Prime Video. According to Deadline, Amazon's deal for the film is valued around $20 million. Saldaña and The Russos previously collaborated on the films "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." She's also worked before with director Frank E. Flowers, on the 2004 crime drama "Haven." DEADLINE

The new Adult Swim animated comedy series "Royal Crackers" centers on the battle for control of a family-owned cracker business. The first three episodes debut Sunday, April 2 on Adult Swim and hit HBO Max the following day. More: Jason Ruiz ("Murder Police") created the series and also stars as family man Stebe, who's trying to hold the company and the extended Hornsby Clan together. Andrew Santino and Jessica St. Clair co-star. Ruiz told Polygon that, though his show was created digitally, his key inspiration is '90s hand-drawn animation, like "Beavis and Butt-head." POLYGON

QUICK HITS Award-winning, vegan-friendly, non-alcoholic. Athletic Brewing delivers to anyone seeking a non-alcoholic option that doesn't compromise on taste.* HBO posted a trailer for "Rain Dogs," a new comedy-drama series starring Fleur Tashjian, Daisy May Cooper, and Jack Farthing as a mismatched trio who form an unlikely family unit; the series, inspired by the life of creator and writer Cash Carraway, debuts on March 6. Fox is reportedly developing a series reboot of "Starsky & Hutch" with women characters in the title roles; Sam Sklaver ("Prodigal Son") and Elizabeth Peterson ("The Resident") are currently working on pilot scripts. WB Discovery will air edited episodes of classic HBO shows -- including "Silicon Valley" and "True Blood" -- on its TNT and TBS basic cable networks. NBC Sports retained the broadcast and streaming rights to the Tour de France bicycle race through 2029; all stages of the event will stream exclusively on Peacock starting in 2024. An upcoming ABC News documentary for Hulu -- "Rap Trap: Hip-Hop on Trial" -- will look into the government's RICO cases against Young Thug and Gunna, along with other criminal allegations against popular rappers; the film premieres on February 23. "Great British Bake Off" producer Richard McKerrow conceded in a recent podcast interview that the show's much-maligned Season 13 -- which included a controversial "Mexican Week" episode -- was "not our strongest" and vowed to set things right this year. Barry Pepper joined the cast of Paramount+ and Taylor Sheridan's new "Bass Reeves" series as a regular; David Oyelowo stars as the iconic real-life Western lawman. Johnny Knoxville told Vulture that he's "a little pissed" about Hulu's decision to cancel the comedy series "Reboot" after just one season, and also gave a strong hint that Season 3 of HBO's "The White Lotus" will be set in Tokyo, Japan. An upcoming Netflix series, now in pre-production and inspired by the success of "Drive to Survive," will chronicle the 2023-2024 season of Spain's LaLiga soccer division. A24 grabbed the rights to Patrick Radden Keefe's 2010 non-fiction book "The Snakehead" following a bidding war with rival networks and streamers; the book investigates a complex multi-million dollar business operating out of New York's Chinatown that smuggled people into the US. *This is sponsored content

Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." Editor Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade.

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