"Coyote vs. Acme" / AMC ad sales drop 23% / "Fool Me Once" debuts at #1 / Cillian Murphy's "Steve"

Plus the weekend calendar, Morgan moves from TV to YouTube, Williamson "Rear Window" series, O'Hara joins "Last of Us," and more

Inside Streaming For February 09, 2024

Happy Friday and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief. I'll be honest... I find the whole "Coyote vs. Acme" story deeply depressing. I think we tend to assume that businesses are run in a heartless but at core, logical and predictable fashion. Companies and CEOs will do whatever they think maximizes profits and minimizes losses. But a company spending all the money to produce a film and then simply hitting the DELETE key on it so they can get a tax break, even when other companies are making significant cash offers to take the product off of their hands? This doesn't feel defensible in any conventional way. That's obviously not what's best for Warner Bros. the studio or its customers. That's an accounting trick designed to make the company appear more profitable, short-term, on a balance sheet, which in turn will help maintain the stock price. It benefits David Zaslav and other big-time WBD shareholders, exclusively in the short-term. The downside isn't just that years of dedicated, passionate work by a diverse range of artists and other professionals just gets vaporized for no good reason, though that is also happening. It's also very likely an overall loss for Warner Bros. Discovery, the company. There's every reason to believe "Coyote vs. Acme" could come out, be a hit, make its money back at the theatrical box office, drive subscriptions on Max and make the Looney Tunes more widely popular among a younger generation, thus boosting merch sales, future licensing deals, and driving even more audiences over time to Warner Bros. films, TV shows, and streaming platforms. That's the literal business they are in, and they're not even going to TRY. This is what depresses me the most. Anyway, have a great weekend, I guess. Lon p/lon-harris

1 The Wrap chronicled Warner Bros. failure to find a new home for the live-action/animation hybrid comedy film "Coyote vs. Acme." In November, Warner Bros. Discovery signaled plans to dump the Looney Tunes movie entirely as a tax write-off, but after public outcry, the film was screened for other studios and distributors. More: According to The Wrap, WBD received offers from Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount, but none were in the desired range of $75-$80 million. The studios were apparently not allowed to make counter-offers, and negotiations simply stalled out. The Wrap suggests the film will likely never be released, and will be written off for tax purposes prior to WBD's next earnings report. The Wrap further reports that no top WBD executives making the decision have actually seen the finished film; CEO David Zaslav has apparently never watched it in any form. WBD previously wrote off "Batgirl," to some controversy, but "Coyote vs. Acme" had been particularly well received at early screenings; comedian and podcaster Paul Scheer said it "captured the voice of the Looney Tunes that we love in a way none of the other feature versions have ever done."

2 AMC Networks saw its US ad sales tumble by 23% in the fourth quarter of 2023. The company ended the year with around 11.4 million total streaming subscribers, up from 11 million at the close of Q2 in June. More: AMC controls a number of niche streaming services, including AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK, and HIDIVE. Aside from the flagship AMC, the company also owns a number of conventional cable networks, including BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV, and WE tv. The company blamed the major ad sales decline on general trends within the linear TV marketplace, a still-recovering ad market, and a thin release schedule toward the close of the year. In 2023, earnings from content licensing also plummeted by 68%; the previous year, AMC got a major boost from producing the Apple TV+ hit "Silo." Subscription revenues were also down, by around 8%.

3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 SUNCOAST: 2024 semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama feature from first-time writer/director Laura Chinn. Nico Parker stars as a lonely teen whose family is distracted by her brother's chronic illness, leading her to befriend an eccentric activist. Laura Linney and Woody Harrelson co-star. The film premiered at this year's Sundance. [Hulu] CAT PERSON: 2023 psychological thriller from director Susanna Fogel ("The Spy Who Dumped Me"), based on a 2017 short story by Kristen Roupenian that went viral on social media. Emilia Jones stars as a college sophomore who has a brief, awkward relationship with an older man (Nicholas Braun). Geraldine Viswanathan, Isabella Rossellini, and Hope Davis co-star. The film premiered at last year's Sundance. [Hulu] LOVER, STALKER, KILLER: True-crime documentary feature looking back at the 2012 murder of single mother Cari Farver by fellow single mom Liz Golyar, who used Farver's phone to digitally impersonate her for years after her death. Both Farver and Golyar were casually dating the same man, Nebraska mechanic Dave Kroupa, who participated in the film. Sam Hobkinson ("The Confession") directed. [Netflix] A KILLER PARADOX: Debut darkly comic crime thriller series from Korea, starring Choi Woo-shik as a college student who finds himself relentlessly pursued by an obsessed detective (Son Suk-ku) after accidentally murdering a serial killer. Creator Ggomabi also wrote the webcomic on which the series is based. [Netflix] BHAKSHAK: Hindi-language crime thriller film from India, about a journalist's (Bhumi Pednekar) relentless pursuit of a story involving corruption and abuse at a shelter for young girls. Sanjay Mishra, Sai Tamhankar, and Aditya Srivastava co-star; Pulkit ("Maroon") directed. [Netflix] ALPHA MALES (MACHOS ALFA): The Spanish comedy series -- centering on four 40-something guy friends who feel out of step with the modern world -- returns this week for a second season. Fele Martínez, Gorka Otxoa, Fernando Gil, and Raúl Tejón co-star. [Netflix] ASHES (KÜL): 2024 romantic drama feature from Turkey, starring Funda Eryigit as a wealthy, married woman who gets swept up in an unpublished novel, then finds herself falling for a mysterious carpenter. [Netflix] UPGRADED: 2024 romantic comedy feature starring Camila Mendes as an ambitious intern who meets a handsome stranger (Archie Renaux) during a work trip, and allows him to believe that she's actually her powerful boss (Marisa Tomei). Carlson Young ("The Blazing World") directed. [Prime Video] THE SILENT SERVICE: THE BATTLE OF TOKYO BAY: 8-episode live-action military thriller series from Japan, based on the classic manga by Kaiji Kawaguchi, and continuing the story from 2023 film "The Silent Service." The story centers on the crew of Japan's first nuclear submarine, which goes rogue in an attempt to prevent a catastrophic international incident. Takao Osawa, Hiroshi Tamaki, and Aya Ueto co-star. [Prime Video] SUPER BOWL GREATEST COMMERCIALS: THE ULTIMATE COUNTDOWN: The annual interactive CBS special -- now in its 23rd year -- invites viewers to vote for their favorite Super Bowl spots in history. Boomer Esiason and Daniela Ruah co-host from Nevada's Allegiant Stadium, the home of Super Bowl LVIII. [Paramount+] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 THE ACCIDENTAL INFLUENCER: Debut comedy-drama series from Taiwan, produced for Asia's HBO GO app, and inspired by the life of blogger SHOWON. Shu-Yao Kuo stars as 30-year-old Red Ho, whose viral rant on social media unexpectedly brings her global notoriety. Aviis Zhong and Ke-Fang Sun co-star. [Max] THREE-BODY: 2023 Chinese sci-fi series, based on the Liu Cixin novel "The Three-Body Problem." Zhang Luyi stars as a nanotechnologist who's recruited by a counterterrorism expert (Yu Hewei) to help investigate the disappearances of several notable scientists. Chen Jin, Wang Ziwen, Lin Yongjian, and Li Xiaoran co-star. The same novel also inspired an upcoming HBO series from the "Game of Thrones" creative team. [Peacock] SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 SUPER BOWL LVIII: The big game airs live on CBS and streams on Paramount+ starting at 6:30 pm ET/3:30 pm PT. The San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs from Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. Reba McEntire will perform the national anthem, while the Halftime Show features the music of Usher. [Paramount+] TRACKER: Debut CBS procedural action-drama series, based on the novel "The Never Game" by Jeffrey Deaver. Justin Hartley stars as survivalist Colter Shaw, who uses his tracking and wilderness skills to help everyday people and law enforcement solve missing persons cases. Robin Weigert, Abby McEnany, and Mary McDonnell co-star. Author Ben H. Winters created the series and serves as co-showrunner with "Bones" vet Hilary Weisman Graham. [Paramount+] THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER: 2023 supernatural horror film, based on a chapter from Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula," and chronicling the vampire count's bloody voyage from Bulgaria to London on board the merchant ship Demeter. Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, and Javier Botet co-star; André Øvredal ("The Autopsy of Jane Doe") directs. [Paramount+] PUPPY BOWL XX: The annual Animal Planet special features adorable pups racing around the field together -- representing Team Ruff and Team Fluff -- alongside inspiring stories of adoption and rescues. The show airs and streams live at 2 pm ET. [Max] THE BLACKLIST: The crime thriller's tenth and final season aired last year on NBC, and comes to Netflix in the US today. James Spader returned for Season 10 as former government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington, who specializes in tracking down the world's most wanted fugitives. Diego Klattenhoff, Hisham Tawfiq, Anya Banerjee, and Harry Lennix co-star. [Netflix] LOVE & JANE: Romantic comedy-drama from Hallmark starring Alison Sweeney as a book lover who begins receiving advice from the spirit of author Jane Austen. Benjamin Ayres and Debbie Podowski co-star; David Weaver ("Christmas Island") wrote and directed. [Peacock] NINJA KAMUI: Debut Japanese anime series, produced for the Adult Swim cable network, about a former ninja who retired to rural America, but returns -- and assumes the mantle of Ninja Kamui -- to seek revenge for the murder of his family. "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "God of High School" vet Sunghoo Park directed. [Max]

4 Netflix's mystery drama "Fool Me Once" debuted at #1 on Nielsen's streaming chart for the week of January 8 through the 14. The British series, based on a 2016 Harlan Coben novel, was viewed for around 2.4 billion minutes in its first week. More: According to Netflix's internal metrics, "Fool Me Once" already ranks #9 among its most popular English-language series of all time. After a 2023 that was largely dominated by licensed titles, a number of streaming originals performed well in early January, including Amazon's "Reacher" at #3 with 1 billion minutes viewed, and Netflix's "The Brothers Sun" at #6 with 960 million minutes of viewership. Kevin Hart's Netflix heist movie "Lift" and the Disney+ action drama "Echo" also performed well, and made the Streaming Originals Top 10 list.

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5 Cillian Murphy will executive produce and star in the Netflix original film "Steve," based on the Max Porter novel "Shy." This will be the first project from Murphy's newly-formed production company, Big Things Films, which he co-founded with Irish film producer and long-time collaborator Alan Moloney. More: Murphy will star in the film as a teacher at a last-chance reform school who privately struggles with mental health issues. Tim Mielants, who has collaborated with Murphy on a number of stage projects and the TV series "Peaky Blinders," will direct. Murphy recently won a Golden Globe for his lead performance in "Oppenheimer"; he's also nominated for the Best Actor Oscar this year. Production begins on "Steve" in the spring.

6 British TV personality Piers Morgan announced his intention to move his news and commentary show to YouTube. Morgan told British paper The Times that his TalkTV show has come to feel like an "unnecessary straitjacket" that makes him feel like a "slave to the schedule." More: Morgan's YouTube channel, "Piers Morgan Uncensored," has around 2.3 million subscribers. Morgan has hosted the nightly TalkTV series for around two years; it airs at 8 pm in the UK. Morgan said he was inspired to make the jump by Joe Rogan, who posts full, lengthy interviews from his podcast on YouTube.

7 "Scream" and "Dawson's Creek" writer/creator Kevin Williamson signed a new overall deal with Universal Television, and will develop a number of series and TV adaptations. Among the projects in development is a series based on the classic Alfred Hitchcock film "Rear Window," which will stream on Peacock if greenlit. More: Williamson will serve as writer and executive producer on the "Rear Window" series; the film stars Jimmy Stewart as an injured photographer who passes the lonely hours in his apartment by spying on his neighbors. Williamson is also developing a remake of the David Fincher film "The Game," along with original screenwriter Michael Ferris. Other projects in development at Universal include an adaptation of author Ruth Ware's 2022 novel "The It Girl" and the drama series "The Waterfront," about a North Carolina family that controls a struggling fishing empire. Williamson's production company is called Outerbanks Entertainment.

8 QUICK HITS Invest in private credit deals with up to 20% APY and deal durations under 12 mos. Accredited investors can get started with just $500.* "Schitt's Creek" vet Catherine O'Hara joined the cast of HBO's "The Last of Us" Season 2 in an undisclosed role. Paramount+ dropped a teaser for "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," a series spinoff of last year's film "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem"; the 2D animated series arrives this summer. The cult hit Canadian Western series "Wynonna Earp" -- which aired on Syfy in the US until 2021 -- will return for a one-off Tubi special, subtitled "Vengeance"; original creator Emily Andras and cast members Melanie Scrofano, Tim Rozon, Dom Provost-Chalkley, and Katherine Barrell will all return for the revival. Five more actors joined the cast of "Dead to Me" vet Liz Feldman's upcoming Netflix dark comedy series "No Good Deed," including Matt Rogers, Anna Maria Horsford, Kate Moennig, and Linda Lavin. The horror film "Late Night with the Devil" -- starring David Dastmalchian as a TV host in the 1970s whose live broadcast descends into a hellish nightmare -- will get a limited theatrical run in March before premiering on Shudder in April. Anthony Michael Hall and Sonya Cassidy joined the cast of Amazon's "Reacher" ahead of the show's third season; the new episodes will be based on the seventh book in author Lee Child's series, "Persuader." "Westworld" vet Luke Hemsworth joined the cast of Amazon's "The Terminal List" spinoff series "Dark Wolf" in a recurring role as unpredictable CIA contractor Jules Landry; Taylor Kitsch, Tom Hopper, and Chris Pratt topline the series. Disney+ released a trailer for the four-part British period mystery series "Shardlake," based on the novels by author C.J. Sansom; Arthur Hughes stars as a detective assigned by Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) to investigate a murder at a 16th Century monastery. *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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