Amazon-MGM consolidation / Netflix Games downloads spiked / "Reacher" S2 opens big / Pixar layoffs

Plus the weekend calendar, Fishburne joins "The Witcher," Peacock orders "Laid" series, "Oppenheimer" coming to Peacock, and more

Inside Streaming For January 12, 2024

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Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming daily brief. We appreciate it, as always. If you have Apple TV+, it's "Killers of the Flower Moon" Day! (It's also available to rent or buy on VOD, if you're not an Apple TV+ subscriber.) Martin Scorsese's crime epic is my official favorite movie of 2023, a dark but essential exploration of one American tragedy that brilliantly illuminates a pattern that has played out time and again throughout the nation's history. It's all-encompassing in scale and ambition, but still emotional, lived-in, and specific to these characters and their world, with a trio of devastating performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro. I know it's long, but make the time for this one. Have a great weekend! We'll see you back here on Monday. Lon p/lon-harris

1 According to The Wrap, Amazon plans to consolidate its Amazon Studios and MGM Studios teams following this week's layoffs. A memo released to staff by Amazon Studio chief Jen Salke said that, while the companies will continue to offer a "robust slate" of content, they would do so while becoming "more operationally efficient." More: Amazon Studios and MGM productions will now be overseen by a single team. Thus far, the consolidation efforts have led to lost jobs from the studios' marketing, business operations, and distribution teams. The new division will be called "Amazon MGM Studios Theatrical Distribution," and will be overseen by Kevin Wilson. All impacted staffers have now been informed about the layoffs.

2 According to data from Sensor Tower, Netflix Games downloads were up 180% in 2023 over the previous year. In total, games released by Netflix were downloaded 81.2 million times from Apple's App Store and Google Play in 2023; 53% of that total came in the fourth quarter alone. More: In 2022, Netflix Games were downloaded just 28.7 million times; in 2021, the company's games saw 5.2 million downloads. The company started out by offering just a few mobile games in 2021, before acquiring a number of game studios and developers to fill out its catalog. Though all games are free to download and play currently with a Netflix subscription, the company has reportedly been considering potential paths to monetization, such as in-app payments or the introduction of a paywall for certain titles.

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3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: 2023 period crime drama from co-writer/director Martin Scorsese, based on the 2017 non-fiction book by David Grann, about the murders of several Osage Nation members following the discovery of oil on their tribal land in the 1920s. Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser co-star. [Apple TV+] THE TRAITORS: The reality competition series -- in which contestants working toward a $250,000 grand prize attempt to uncover "traitors" within their midst -- returns this week for a second season. The series is primarily recorded at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Alan Cumming hosts. [Peacock] LIFT: Comedy-thriller from filmmaker F. Gary Gray ("The Fate of the Furious"), starring Kevin Hart as a master thief who attempts to pull off a seemingly impossible heist during a passenger flight from London to Zurich. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D'Onofrio, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, and Jean Reno co-star. [Netflix] LOVE IS BLIND: SWEDEN: The reality dating series' first European spinoff finds a group of Swedish singles getting to know one another, and even getting engaged, without ever meeting up face to face. Jessica Almenäs hosts. [Netflix] BLUEY: The beloved Australian animated series for the whole family centers on a six-year-old puppy named Bluey, who lives with her parents and younger sister. A fresh batch of Season 3 episodes hit Disney+ in the US today. [Disney+] UNINTERRUPTED'S TOP CLASS: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE SIERRA CANYON TRAILBLAZERS: The sports reality series from executive producers LeBron James and Maverick Carter profiles the elite Southern California high school basketball program, which features several future NBA draft picks. It's back this weekend for a fourth season. [Freevee] ROLE PLAY: Action comedy-thriller film starring Kaley Cuoco as a suburban wife and mom who leads a covert double life as an assassin-for-hire, until her husband (David Oyelowo) accidentally discovers her dark secret. Bill Nighy and Connie Nielsen co-star; French filmmaker Thomas Vincent directed. [Prime Video] SELF RELIANCE: Actor Jake Johnson makes his debut as a writer/director with this 2024 comic thriller, which premiered at last year's SXSW festival. Johnson stars as a hapless Los Angeleno who's being hunted as part of a Dark Web reality show, with the twist that he can only be killed when no one else is around. Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Mary Holland, Andy Samberg, Christopher Lloyd, and Biff Wiff co-star. [Hulu] GORDON RAMSAY'S ROAD TRIP: SPANISH VACATION: The latest installment in the ongoing ITV travel anthology series (which airs on Fox in the US) finds Ramsay and friends Gino D'Acampo and Fred Sirieix touring around the Andalusia and Galicia regions of Spain. This was the final season produced before D'Acampo announced his intention to exit the series. [Hulu] MIRANDA'S VICTIM: 2023 direct-to-VOD drama film based on the life story of Patricia "Trish" Weir, who was kidnapped and assaulted by Ernesto Miranda in 1963, leading to a landmark legal case that inspired the "Miranda warning." Abigail Breslin stars as Weir; Luke Wilson, Sebastian Quinn, Andy Garcia, Donald Sutherland, Ryan Phillippe, and Kyle MacLachlan co-star. [Hulu] BATWHEELS: The animated kids' series, based on DC Comics characters, follows a group of crime-fighting vehicles in Gotham City. It's back for a second season this weekend. [Max] DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS: 2024 horror comedy starring Jonah Ray as a neurotic wannabe musician who accidentally kills his noisy and grotesque neighbor (Alex Winter) during an altercation, leading to an increasingly gruesome string of violence and cover-ups. Kiran Deol, Ryan Kattner, Kumail Nanjiani, Jon Daly, and Thomas Lennon co-star. [Shudder] SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 THE KITCHEN: The hour-long Food Network instructional series features personalities from across the network sharing simple recipes, dishes, and meal plans. It's back for a 34th season. [Max] WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT HOUSE? Debut reality series from HGTV in which home inspector Joe Mazza and designer Noel Gatts help clients repair unforeseen issues with their homes, then reinvent their new living spaces. Season 1 aired last year on cable and hits Max today. [Max] SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY: The crime drama anthology series returns for a fourth season with new showrunner, writer, and director Issa López. Jodie Foster and Kali Reis co-star as detectives from the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, investigating the strange disappearance of eight men from an Arctic research station. Finn Bennett, Fiona Shaw, Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and John Hawkes co-star; Barry Jenkins executive produced. [Max] MONSIEUR SPADE: Debut crime drama series starring Clive Owen as author Dashiell Hammett's iconic detective Sam Spade, who's 60 years old and living in the South of France in the year 1963. When a group of nuns are brutally murdered at a local convent, Spade reluctantly interrupts his retirement and takes up the case. Scott Frank ("The Queen's Gambit") wrote, directed, and co-created the series along with "Oz" vet Tom Fontana. [AMC+ / Acorn TV] CRAIG BEFORE THE CREEK: Original animated film from Cartoon Network, serving as a prequel for the animated series "Craig of the Creek." It follows a young Craig (Philip Solomon) as he first arrives in town and discovers the adventures that await him. The film premieres Saturday on cable and hits Max on Sunday. [Max] BELGRAVIA: THE NEXT CHAPTER: Debut period drama series, following up on the limited 2020 Julian Fellowes series "Belgravia" and set among London high society in the year 1871. Harriet Slater, Ben Wainwright, Edward Bluemel, Toby Regbo, Hannah Onslow, and Sophie Thompson co-star; Helen Edmundson ("An Inspector Calls") created. [MGM+]

4 According to Nielsen, "Reacher" was viewed for around 1.69 billion minutes between December 11 and 17 of last year. The show's second season premiered in the middle of that week, on December 15. More: The action-thriller series was viewed for 1.84 billion minutes during its original premiere week, in February 2022. In 2022, however, Amazon released the full first season all at once; only the first three Season 2 episodes debuted on the 15th. "Reacher" was the week's second most-viewed streaming title, behind only Netflix's disaster film "Leave the World Behind." "The Crown" also topped the 1 billion minutes viewed mark for the week for the first time since its Season 6 premiere in November. "Barbie," the year's biggest film at the box office, hit Max on December 15, and was viewed for 518 million minutes in its first three days.

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5 TechCrunch reported that Disney's Pixar animation studio will lay off around 20% of its total workforce this year, dropping the team of 1,300 down to just 1,000 staffers. According to Pixar, those numbers are likely a bit too high, and the final count is still being determined. More: The layoffs are not imminent, but will take place later on this year. The laid-off staffers will include some employees brought on at Disney's insistence, to specifically produce content for Disney+. Three Pixar films released during the COVID pandemic -- "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red" -- skipped theaters and debuted directly on Disney+. Pixar's "Elemental" ranks among the studio's most popular streaming titles of 2023, alongside "The Little Mermaid" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"; though the film initially struggled at the box office, it ultimately grossed half a billion dollars worldwide and was the most-viewed film on Disney+ in Q3.

6 Laurence Fishburne will join the cast of Netflix's epic fantasy-drama "The Witcher" for its fourth season. Fishburne will play Regis, a "barber-surgeon" with a mysterious past. More: Liam Hemsworth takes over the lead role of Geralt of Rivia for "The Witcher" Season 4; series regulars Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, and Joey Batey all return for the new episodes. Regis was introduced in original "Witcher" author Andrzej Sapkowski's novel, "Baptism of Fire." No release date has been set for "The Witcher" Season 4; The Hollywood Reporter suggests it will likely debut in 2025.

7 Peacock ordered a first season for the romantic comedy series "Laid." Stephanie Hsu ("Everything Everywhere All At Once") will executive produce and star in the series, a remake of an Australian original. More: Hsu will play a woman who discovers that her former lovers are dying in unconventional ways, and investigates by retracing her "sex timeline." Nahnatchka Khan ("Young Rock") and Sally Bradford McKenna ("The Goldbergs") wrote the adaptation and are executive producing the series for Universal Television.

8 QUICK HITS Develop AI tools from the world's best models, leverage any data source, and deploy for any internal or external use with MindStudio's no-code platform. Get Started.* Christopher Nolan's box office smash "Oppenheimer" -- a favorite in multiple categories at this year's Oscars -- hits Peacock on February 16. Aaron Rodgers returned to ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," just one day after the host announced the end of his ongoing segment, "Aaron Rodgers Tuesday"; the New York Jets quarterback's appearances have been populated with COVID vaccine conspiracies, unfounded allegations against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, and other controversial topics. Disney+ released a teaser for "Kaiser Karl," an upcoming biographical series starring Daniel Brühl as iconic German designer Karl Lagerfeld; the French-language series debuts internationally later this year. According to Variety, CBS is developing a spinoff of "Young Sheldon," centered on Montana Jordan and Emily Osment as young parents Georgie and Mandy. Netflix's "The Night Agent" added new series regulars ahead of its second season, including Brittany Snow, Louis Herthum, Berto Colon, Arienne Mandi, and Teddy Sears. ABC's medical drama series "The Good Doctor" will end after its upcoming seventh season; the series returns on February 20. More actors have joined the cast of "The White Lotus" Season 3, including Milos Bikovic, Christian Friedel, Morgana O'Reilly, Lek Patravadi, and Shalini Peiris; the new episodes start production this February in Thailand. FX ordered a pilot for "Snowflakes," an ensemble comedy about a group of co-dependent 20-something housemates; former "Tonight Show" writers Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw scripted, while Nick Kroll executive produces. Actor Eduardo Franco won't return as Argyle for the final season of "Stranger Things"; the actor told "The Steve Varley Show" that he was never contacted about appearing in the new episodes. Netflix's "3 Body Problem" will premiere as an Opening Night screening at this year's SXSW Film & TV Festival in March. During an appearance on the DGA's Director's Cut podcast, Zack Snyder spoke about producing multiple versions of his fantasy epic "Rebel Moon" for Netflix, and teased the R-rated Director's Cut, which arrives this summer. Members of "The Sopranos" cast and crew reunited in New York's Little Italy this week to commemorate the landmark HBO series' 25th anniversary. Tubi grabbed the US and Canadian rights to the South African series "Devil's Peak," based on a 2004 novel by Deon Meyer; Hilton Pelser stars as a detective tracking a vigilante killer in Cape Town. Smart investors are generating passive income by selling their shareholder voting rights. Register on Shareholder Vote Exchange to start earning.* *This is sponsored content

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Lon Harris Writer 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." This newsletter was edited by Lon Harris

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