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| Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming daily brief... We finally got a look at the mystery project uber-producer Greg Berlanti has been working on covertly for months... and it's a romantic comedy set at NASA, apparently. It's been heartening to see romantic comedies making a cultural comeback of late. Like horror films, they're a relatively cheap to produce genre with a vast potential audience if you play it right. Seems like a natural fit for a film industry that's still reeling from the pandemic and the gradual collapse of the theatrical exhibition industry. This one seems fun. I'm looking forward to it. Enjoy today's issue! Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | According to The Wall Street Journal, Skydance's acquisition of Paramount Global has been complicated by the company's unique ownership structure. Shari Redstone controls around 77% of Paramount voting stock through her late father Sumner Redstone's holding company National Amusements, but holds less than 10% of the company's equity. More: - Because of the National Amusements wrinkle, potential buyout deals largely favor Redstone over general Paramount shareholders.
- Paramount's stock price has tumbled in 2024; the company has lost one-third of its overall market value since December, when Skydance's potential acquisition was first being reported in the media.
- In the most recent version of the two-part deal, Redstone would receive more than $2 billion in cash, while Paramount Global would acquire Skydance for $5 billion in stock; Skydance owner David Ellison would then lead the new company.
- Warren Buffet's firm Berkshire Hathaway sold around one-third of its stake in Paramount during Q4 of 2023.
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| 2 | | Netflix has started reorganizing its film division under new studio chief Dan Lin. The change will include around 15 layoffs. More: - Lin replaced Scott Stuber as the head of Netflix's film department earlier this month.
- The new organization divides up the team by genre.
- Ori Marmur will now oversee action, fantasy, horror, and sci fi; Kira Goldberg supervises thrillers, dramas, and family films; Niija Kuykendall will focus on faith-based movies, along with YA and holiday content; while Jason Young manages comedies.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, APRIL 9 BRANDY HELLVILLE & THE CULT OF FAST FASHION: HBO exposé documentary about the teen fashion brand Brandy Melville, and the "fast fashion" industry more generally. The film investigates the company's business practices -- including its use of overseas factory labor -- and the impact of its social media marketing on young women's self-image. Eva Orner ("Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator") directs. [Max] MUD MADNESS: Debut reality series from Discovery Channel set in the world of "extreme mud racing," in which competitors in a variety of custom-designed vehicles navigate challenging, messy courses amidst a "wild party scene." Episodes debut Tuesdays on cable and Max. [Max] NEAL BRENNAN: CRAZY GOOD: The comedian and "Chappelle's Show" co-creator returns with his latest Netflix hour-long special, recorded at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Jokes concern cryptocurrency, flexing on socila media, complimenting your partner after sex, and the links between greatness and mental health. [Netflix] THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER: 2023 "Exorcist" sequel serving as a direct follow-up to the 1973 original. When two girls vanish for three days, then return mysteriously changed, a collective of experts from various faiths will attempt to free them from malevolent spirits. Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn, Lidya Jewett, and Olivia O'Neill co-star; David Gordon Green ("Halloween Ends") directs. [Prime Video] | | | |
| 4 | | According to Disney's internal figures, the animated musical "Wish" scored 13.2 million views in its first five days on Disney+. This was the platform's #3 most-viewed Disney Animation film debut of all time, behind only "Encanto" and "Frozen 2." More: - The ranking only includes films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, as opposed to other Disney brands.
- The biggest Disney+ film debut of 2023, Pixar's "Elemental," landed 26.4 million views in five days; it's among the most popular titles in Disney+ history.
- "Wish" under-performed at the box office, raking in just $31.7 million during the 2023 Thanksgiving weekend, compared to projections of $45-50 million.
- Ariana DeBose stars as Asha, a girl from a fantasy kingdom who uses a magic wish to unseat the villainous King Magnifico (Chris Pine).
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| 5 | | Apple released a trailer for the period romantic comedy "Fly Me to the Moon." Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum co-star in the film, which is set behind the scenes during NASA's Apollo 11 mission. More: - Johansson stars as a marketing expert brought in to improve NASA's public image; Tatum co-stars as the Apollo 11 launch director who's wary of her ideas.
- Nick Dillebnurg, Anna Garcia, Jim Rash, Ray Romano, and Woody Harrelson round out the main cast.
- "Love, Simon" vet Greg Berlanti -- who also oversaw all of the CW Network's former series based on DC Comics -- directed.
- The film plays around with the ongoing conspiracy theory that the moon landing was faked, including a reference to the rumor that the lunar footage was covertly directed by Stanley Kubrick.
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| 6 | | YouTube influencers Dude Perfect secured an investment from Highmount Capital of over $100 million. The group plans to use the money to add new projects and divisions to their business and expand their programming. More: - Dude Perfect was founded by five friends from Texas A&M University in 2009, and now has over 60 million subscribers on YouTube.
- They became best known for viral videos in which team members performed a variety of impressive trick shots and other stunts.
- The group has moved beyond just YouTube over the years, producing shows for CMT and Nickelodeon, hosting Amazon "Thursday Night Football" broadcasts, and touring across the country for live performances.
- Among the new avenues for Dude Perfect are an interactive headquarters in Frisco, Texas that's open to the public; adding fresh talent to the team; and expanding the Dude Perfect app and streaming platform.
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| 7 | | Amazon's series adaptation of the "Fallout" video games will shoot its second season in California after grabbing a $25 million tax credit from the state. The first season was produced in New York State. More: - The California Film Commission estimates that the Amazon MGM Studios production will spend around $153 million in the state, while hiring a cast and crew of around 170 people.
- Other projects that scored tax credits from California include an untitled Amazon project about a secret undercover task force, and two shows from producer Ryan Murphy: "Dr. Odyssey" and "Grotesquerie."
- Amazon moved up the Prime Video release date for "Fallout" this week; all eight episodes arrive on April 10 at 6 pm PT.
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| 8 | | A new app for the Apple Vision Pro, called "Supercut," improves the experience of streaming Netflix on the device. Netflix has yet to release a native app for the Vision Pro headset, and the company says it has no plans to develop one. More: - While streaming video is possible on the device via a web browser, Supercut provides a number of enhanced features, including support for 4K with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, better subtitle and audio controls, the ability to skip ahead and back within a video, and the removal of "letterboxing" bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
- Supercut also supports Amazon Prime Video.
- The app, which charges a one-time payment of $4.99, was developed by Christian Privitelli.
- On X, Privitelli suggested he's working on more features, including customized "immersive environments" separate from those included with Apple's core visionOS system.
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| 9 | | Netflix announced the six-episode live comedy series "John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA," which will stream throughout this summer's Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival. Episodes will feature Mulaney exploring the city along with other comedians who are in town for live shows, through a combination of interviews and field pieces. More: - The first episode debuts on May 3; new installments will premiere nightly between May 6-10.
- Though no guest line-up has been announced, a teaser suggests that they will be "equal to, but not necessarily, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and David Letterman."
- Mulaney created and executive produces the show, in addition to hosting; he's also a co-showrunner alongside "The Bachelor" and "Dancing with the Stars" vet Ashley Edens.
- Netflix Is a Joke runs from May 1 through the 12th at a number of venues across Los Angeles; Mulaney is performing a show at the Hollywood Bowl on May 4.
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- The fourth and final season of the Paramoount+ procedural horror drama "Evil" premieres on May 23; the final season runs for an extended 14 episodes.
- A forecast from Wall Street research firm MoffettNathanson predicts that YouTube TV will be the #1 pay-TV distributor in the US by the close of 2026.
- Filmmaker David Lynch claims that Netflix rejected his pitch for a "wacky" animated feature "Snootworld," which he scripted along with "Nightmare Before Christmas" vet Caroline Thompson; the "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" director is still seeking a home for the project.
- Canal+ Group's acquisition of African media and entertainment giant MultiChoice -- which owns the continent's top native streaming platform, Showmax -- moved forward this week, with the companies confirming that they have entered a cooperation agreement.
- The first stand-up comedy special from "Hacks" star Hannah Einbinder will debut on Max in June.
- Cineverse partnered with Nielsen's metadata division, Gracenote, to enhance its AI-powered Cinesearch tool; the recommendation engine identifies streaming titles based on theme, mood, tone, intensity, keyword, plot, "micro-genre," and more.
- The massively popular CBS sitcom "Young Sheldon" will end with a two-part series finale on Thursday, May 16; the show airs and streams simultaneously on CBS and Paramount+.
- Guinness World Records named "Jujutsu Kaisen" as the globe's #1 most in-demand anime series, based on data from Parrot Analytics.
- Netflix canceled the British teen drama series "Everything Now" after a single season, despite prior indications that the show would return for Season 2.
- "Ozark" vet Jessica Frances Dukes joined the cast of MGM+'s limited sci-fi series "Earth Abides," based on the novel by George R. Stewart.
- Netflix dropped a trailer for the French-language creature feature "Under Paris," about a giant shark terrorizing the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine; the film arrives on June 5.
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 | 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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