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Richard Pryor Movie Based On Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor Memoir In Works
A Richard Pryor biopic, adapted from the famed comic's daughter’s new memoir 'Something We Said,' is in development, Deadline can report exclusively.
Leland Stein and David Malan continue Regent Theatre’s legacy of entertainment
Over the past century, the Regent Theatre has hosted thousands of movies, music, comedy, and vaudeville acts. For the past 25 years, Leland Stein, the Regent’s director of programming and community relations, has been the man responsible for choosing what Arlington audiences enjoy. Stein has booked popular movie singalongs (including “The Sound of Music”); renowned musicians, ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Johnny Winter, as well as beloved cover bands, including The Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra (Sept. 26), the Regent’s unofficial “house band” and an annual Tom Petty night (Oct. 24); comedians including Paula Poundstone, Margaret Cho, and Bengali comedian Anirban Dasgupta
Kavinsky, French DJ known for 'Drive' opening song, dies at 50
Kavinsky, the French DJ and electropop musician who performed at the Paris Olympics and gave the Ryan Gosling movie "Drive" its memorable opening credits track, has died. He was 50.
Decoder Replay: Do stars have super powers in politics?
Endorsements by big stars in the 2024 U.S. election didn't change the outcome. Can British movie stars stop a big media merger?
Taylor Sheridan returns to movies after five years with NASA thriller, political drama
Taylor Sheridan's "Capture the Flag" follows a NASA engineer racing to build the first reusable spacecraft for a moon mission.
The Internet Can't Decide if Netflix's #1 Movie Is Hilarious or a Total Miss
The internet can’t seem to agree on Netflix’s newest chart-topping comedy. Find out what viewers are saying about the film everyone is watching here.
'Brand New Day' is Tom Holland's grownup Spider-Man movie
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has battled Thanos, gotten blipped out of existence, lost his mentor and sacrificed relationships to save the world.
Spider Man: Brand New Day First Reactions Praise Tom Holland's Return
Tom Holland is earning rave first reactions for his fourth "Spider-Man" movie, which opens the door to his next era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Incoming Apple CEO aims to build on movie and TV progress
Apple's incoming CEO, hardware chief John Ternus, said he was committed to building on the company's momentum in the entertainment business when he takes the helm of the iPhone maker in September.
Incoming Apple CEO aims to build on movie and TV progress
By Rollo Ross LOS ANGELES, July 27 (Reuters) - Apple's incoming CEO, hardware chief John Ternus, said he was committed to building on the company's momentum in the entertainment business when he takes the helm of the iPhone maker in September. The tec...
Nanoleaf’s colorful pegboard and shelf kit is half off
They sync with movies, games, and music too.
'The Odyssey' hits a shocking box-office milestone in second week
Call them cyclopes, because moviegoers had their eye on only one movie last weekend.
'Michael' movie to get exclusive streaming, TV debut
"Michael," the film that takes the audience on the rise of the "King of Pop," is making an exclusive streaming debut.
French politicians can’t get enough of ‘De Gaulle’
The five-hour-long movie captures the zeitgeist of French politics ahead of next year’s presidential election.
“The Odyssey” remains unchallenged as it sails to box office victory with $639 million global tally
Meanwhile, “Toy Story 5” just became the third $1 billion movie of the year.
Comic-Con 2026: All the movie and TV announcements you need to know
San Diego Comic-Con delivered a packed weekend of casting reveals and first-look trailers.
$70 for a popcorn bucket? Movie theaters are seeing big business with blockbuster collectables
AMC, the world’s largest theater chain, estimates it will see $100 million in revenue this year alone from its collectable popcorn buckets.
AI might be watching you, but here are some ways you can watch AI — in movies and on TV
As AI takes over the world in the metaphorical sense — for now, at least — it’s the perfect time to turn to the movies and TV shows that have shown AI actually taking over the world, and more. From “...
The day my dad died, I took my daughter to the movies
I expected grief to look one way. Instead, parenting, moving, and everyday life forced me to grieve in ways I never anticipated.
$70 for a popcorn bucket? Movie theaters are seeing big business with blockbuster collectables
AMC, the world’s largest theater chain, estimates it will see $100 million in revenue this year alone from its collectable popcorn buckets.
Collectable popcorn buckets are big business for movie theaters
Theaters that are always in search of revenue streams have clearly hit upon a winner in those very lucrative collectable popcorn buckets that seem to be ubiquitous with blockbuster movies. KTLA's David Lazarus explains.
$70 for a popcorn bucket? Movie theaters are seeing big business with blockbuster collectables
AMC, the world’s largest theater chain, estimates it will see $100 million in revenue this year alone from its collectable popcorn buckets.
$70 for a popcorn bucket? Movie theaters are seeing big business with blockbuster collectables
AMC, the world’s largest theater chain, estimates it will see $100 million in revenue this year alone from its collectable popcorn buckets.
Film review: ‘Hadestown’ goes to hell and back on the big screen
“Hadestown: The Musical" is a live stage capture filmed at London’s Lyric Theatre, now playing in movie theaters.
Chris Evans explains how filming ‘Doomsday’ was like making the first ‘Avengers’ in 2011 (exclusive)
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ star Chris Evans sits down with EW for an exclusive Comic-Con interview, where he explains why making the movie gave him the same feels as filming ‘The Avengers’ in 2011.
2026 Best of Johnson County Arts & Entertainment winners
Best Live Music Venue: Aztec Shawnee Theater Currently operating as a live music venue, the Aztec Shawnee Theater is a historic movie palace that first open ...
YWCA to sponsor WWII piano entertainment July 31
The Victory Vertical Project uses descriptive vignettes accompanied by piano music in many styles-classical, popular, boogie-woogie, jazz and movie soundtracks-to bring to life
Gambling becomes America’s favorite pastime as Americans spend more on sports bets than movies, arts, museums, and music combined
Americans wagered $166 billion on sports last year, more than Hollywood, the music industry, books, and museums combined.
Ryan Coogler announces new Black Panther star for third movie
Ryan Coogler confirmed at Comic-Con that a third ‘Black Panther’ movie is in the works — and revealed that it will have a new star.
Christopher Nolan found this David Lynch movie ‘laborious’ to sit through: ‘I cannot say that I enjoyed the film’
‘The Odyssey’ director Christopher Nolan found this David Lynch cult classic ‘laborious’ to sit through the first time: ‘I cannot say that I enjoyed the film.’
When is 'Mother Mary' streaming? How to watch the A24 horror at home.
Stream one of our favorite movies of 2026 (so far) at home.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Movie slumps are the worst. You know when you’re looking through the titles on your streaming services, but nothing sounds quite right? And as you continue to look with little success, you get
Inspiration for film ‘Safety’ is tourney’s special guest
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA COLORADO Denver News: Ray McElrathbey, a former Clemson University football player whose story of fighting to keep his brother out of foster care inspired the Disney+ movie “Safety,” will be the special guest when Volunteers of America Colorado hosts its 23rd Legends Golf Tournament. The Sept. 9 event will be held at Sanctuary, 7549 Daniels Park Road, […]
Pickleball politics can get ugly. A new movie lampoons them.
Apple TV's new pickleball comedy "The Dink," starring Jake Johnson, features turf wars, tensions with tennis players — and that popping sound.
Top Horror Movies Streaming This Week
Fans paid tribute to one of horror's greatest actors in thetop horror movies on streaming this week. Sam Neill, the universally beloved actor who starred in several classic scary movies, passed away l...
Atari Universal Movie Deal For 10 Iconic Game IP; Script Matt Reilly & Carl Hampe Entertainment 360 Producing
Atari Makes Universal Deal For 10 Of Its Iconic Game IP; First Up Is Original Script By Matt Reilly & Carl Hampe With Entertainment 360 Producing
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner can't remember why he green-lit Kingdom Hearts
This comes after Eisner left a panel on new video game company Delphi Interactive.
Nashville-shot movie seeking extras for big concert scene
Those interested in appearing as an extra can apply online and should be available to remain on set for up to eight hours.
Paramount+ is building out its free tier to win cost-conscious viewers
Paramount+ is planning to make more movies and shows free to give users "more reasons to sign up," an internal presentation said.
Movie Theaters Embrace the Bewilderingly Lucrative Business of Buckets
Once, a tub of popcorn was just a tub of popcorn. Now, “collectible concession vessels” could make one chain more than $100 million.
AMC Entertainment CEO says one long-running entertainment debate is finally over
For six years, the entertainment industry has been locked in a debate that touched everything from studio strategy to real estate valuations to the future of a 106-year-old American institution. The question was simple and existential: did streaming permanently replace movie theaters? July 20, AMC ...
Cinerama Dome, an iconic Hollywood theater shuttered by pandemic, will reopen
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will operate it
Cinerama Dome, an iconic Hollywood theater shuttered by pandemic, will reopen
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will operate it
Miyamoto on how Nintendo chooses which games to release, confirms Star Fox and Yoshi games happened because of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Famitsu published a new interview with Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto this week, and one topic of discussion was the company’s software lineup. The Japanese brought up different games that have released on Nintendo Switch 2 so far such as the first 3D Donkey Kong game in almost three decades and a remake for Star Fox. Miyamoto was asked about the...
Hasbro reveals The Legend of Zelda: Heroes of Hyrule toys
The wait is over, as Hasbro has officially revealed the first images of its new The Legend of Zelda action figure line, known as Heroes of Hyrule. The collectibles are based on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, rather than the upcoming live-action movie as some had speculated. Each figure features extensive articulation and includes a variety of...
'The Super Mario Galaxy' Movie Returns Atop U.K. Home Entertainment Sales Chart Through July 22
Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie returned atop of the Official Film Chart, the U.K.’s weekly home entertainment sales chart, through July 22. The former chart topper in June, the animated family adventure held off the transactional debut of A24’s box office sleeper hit Backrooms, which debuted at No. 2. The sci-fi horror, which taps into … Continue reading "‘The Super Mario Galaxy’ Movie Returns Atop U.K. Home Entertainment Sales Chart Through July 22"
Is AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) Fairly Valued After Its Q2 2026 Results?
AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) just posted its second quarter 2026 results, giving investors fresh detail on how the cinema operator is performing on both revenue and profitability after a busy movie slate. See our latest analysis for AMC Entertainment Holdings. At a share price of US$2.20, AMC Entertainment Holdings has swung sharply in recent sessions, with a 7 day share price return of 12.24% after Q2 headlines, yet a 1 month share price return down 22.26% and a 1 year total shareholder...
Movie Review: Pickleball is the star of the sports comedy ‘The Dink’
It’s a lighthearted watch that balances silliness and heart.
‘Clayface’ close-up: Tom Rhys Harries delves into DC’s R-rated body horror
Meet ‘Clayface’ star Tom Rhys Harries — the actor behind Matt Hagen, the character destined to become the Batman baddie in DC’s first horror movie.
What to stream: ‘The Dink,’ ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’
Charli xcx's new album and a pickleball movie starring Jake Johnson are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Help usher in a new era at Swansea movie theater. Now hiring staff
The reels are about to turn once again at a popular SouthCoast movie spot. But first, hiring will be getting underway at the new Swansea theater.
AMC Entertainment delivers record Q2 results as summer releases boost results
AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE:AMC) shares rose 11% after the movie theater chain reported second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations, driven by a strong slate of summer blockbuster releases. The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.14 for the quarter ended...
AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron on record Q2 results: People love to go to movie theaters
AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the company's quarterly earnings results, state of the movie industry, weekend box office, impact of AI, and more.
Watch CNBC's full interview with AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron
AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the company's quarterly earnings results, state of the movie industry, weekend box office, impact of AI, and more.
AMC Entertainment Attracts More Than 4.3 Million Moviegoers Worldwide as THE ODYSSEY Delivers the Biggest Opening Weekend for an R-rated Film Across AMC’s U.S. Circuit Since 2024
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC), the largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States and the world, today announced that more than 4.3 million...
AMC Entertainment Attracts More Than 4.3 Million Moviegoers Worldwide as THE ODYSSEY Delivers the Biggest Opening Weekend for an R-rated Film Across AMC’s U.S. Circuit Since 2024
LEAWOOD, Kan., July 20, 2026--AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC), the largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States and the world, today announced that more than 4.3 million moviegoers attended AMC Theatres in the United States and ODEON Cinemas internationally from Thursday through Sunday, led by the opening of Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY.
MAGA media merger will gut entertainment
Larry and David Ellison's political ambitions will suck the joy out of TV and movies
Paramount/Warner Bros. merger will make media more MAGA
Larry and David Ellison's political ambitions will suck the joy out of TV and movies
AMC Entertainment delivers record Q2 results as summer releases boost results
AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE:AMC) shares rose 11% after the movie theater chain reported second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations,...
Argentina 2026 FIFA World Cup™ Final Mini-Movie 🇪🇸🇦🇷🎥
Spain and Argentina met on football’s biggest stage with the FIFA World Cup™ trophy on the line. Relive the emotion, intensity and unforgettable moments from the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ Final in the official FOX Sports Mini-Movie.
AMC Entertainment Attracts More Than 4.3 Million Moviegoers Worldwide as THE ODYSSEY Delivers the Biggest Opening Weekend for an R-rated Film Across AMC’s U.S. Circuit Since 2024
Six U.S. AMC locations operated around the clock throughout the weekend, running THE ODYSSEY showtimes for more than 85 consecutive hours to…...
The Most Successful Movie Of The Year Is Dominating Peacock
The Odyssey, Spider-Man, The Avengers, no one can dethrone this film from the top of the mountain and now it's on Peacock.
Tom Cruise and Half of Hollywood Lit Up the 2026 World Cup Final
The movie star, who is promoting the heck out of his new film “Digger,” put his stamp on Sunday’s World Cup final, and was joined by half of Hollywood.
1994 Classic, Originally a Box Office Flop, Ranked the 'Best Movie of All Time'
Among film fans, no topic is more hotly debated than the subject of what the greatest movie ever made is. While there will never be an official answer to such a subjective topic, a massive fan vote ha...
How Going to the Movies and Museums May Help Slow Biological Aging
A recent study found that regular cultural engagement, such as attending the cinema, theater, or museums, may help slow biological aging. These activities can also improve mental health and build social connections in older adults.
Arc Herkimer plans Party in the Park
Arc Herkimer will host a free Party in the Park featuring live music, food trucks, movie-themed activities and family entertainment in Herkimer.
<i>The Odyssey</i> Is Perfectly Tolerable Entertainment
The movie is enchanting despite its frustrating qualities.
ENTERTAINMENT: Military museum to screen Abe Lincoln documentary
The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History screens "Lincoln@Gettysburg" 6:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of the museum's Movies at MacArthur series.
Tom Cruise treats AMC workers to ‘Odyssey’ screening — and joins them to watch
Tom Cruise treated workers at a Manhattan AMC to a special IMAX screening of ‘The Odyssey’: ‘An amazing night in a movie theater.’
A live-action Princess Tiana movie is in the works from Colman Domingo and Robert O'Hara
But it's not a live-action remake of "Princess and the Frog."
Where Was ‘The Odyssey’ Filmed? All About the Surprising Destinations Featured in Christopher Nolan’s Movie
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ was shot across five European countries. Here’s everything to know about where ‘The Odyssey’ movie was filmed.
Tom Cruise Reveals Surprising New Look In Trailer For Movie About An Eccentric Billionaire
Check out the movie star’s wild new role in the upcoming black comedy starring Jesse Plemons and Riz Ahmed.
Column: My favorite films of 2026, so far
In general, the highest-quality movies are usually reserved for the end of the year as we head towards awards season. But there are movies releasing every week of the year,
SIFF Cinema Downtown workers walk out before ‘The Odyssey’ showings
Members of SIFF Cinema Workers Union took action before a sold-out matinee of the movie at SIFF Cinema Downtown on Friday. More walkouts are planned.
The Odyssey Fans Say The Movie Needs An Epilepsy Warning
Christopher Nolan’s latest film has one segment that fans are warning new viewers about
Samsung's Freestyle+ Projector Is Now Available For $1,200
Samsung's Freestyle+ projector is a tiny unit which can play movies on the most uneven of surfaces.
After ‘Heated Rivalry’ mania, a very adult ‘Heartstopper’ is here
(CNN) — It takes less than 10 minutes of watching the new “Heartstopper Forever” movie on Netflix to realize this is not the same tenderhearted romance to which audiences were
Ron Howard describes ‘intense’ filming experience on John Wayne’s last movie
Howard and Wayne starred in the 1976 movie “The Shootist” together along with Lauren Bacall and James Stewart.
Every Christopher Nolan movie ranked, including ‘The Odyssey’
Nolan’s 13 films changed the ambitions of the blockbuster. Here’s how "The Odyssey" and all the rest stack up.
‘Children of Blood and Bone’ first-look photos depict Regina King on her throne, Cynthia Erivo ready for battle
First-look photos from the ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ movie show the all-star cast wearing colorful threads on sweeping sets.
Tom Holland says he took 'The Odyssey' role because of Zendaya
Tom Holland said the film's production initially overlapped with the next "Spider-Man" movie.
You can now watch free movies on Fandango without an account
These days, “free” is few and far between—but not today! Fandango just announced that it is expanding its collection of free movies and TV shows that you can watch without an account. That’s right, yo...
The States Try to Topple WarnerMount…Thus Begins the Local Antitrust Era
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Well, it looks like it’s time for another strategy column. Can I finally avoid writing about M&A? No, it seems I cannot. Admittedly, I’m a week early with this column, since I usually put it out every other week. But this news couldn’t wait. This will make three “Most Important Stories” in a row with a merger or acquisition as its centerpiece. First, Roku-Fox (an acquisition), then Comcast-NBCUniversal (a divestment!), and now the State AGs and the WGA’s lawsuits against Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery (antitrust). M&A is usually the “most important” topic any given week, simply because a giant company merging or breaking up (or preventing those outcomes) can have the biggest impact on the streaming board. If you think about these companies as players in a game, changing the number of players is one of the biggest changes you can make. I shouldn’t really complain, either, since this lawsuit is very good news for customers and suppliers (econ speak for talent, workers and indie studios in Hollywood). So let me answer some questions about this potential trial, along with (shudder) making some heavily caveated predictions. I’ll also look at whether Hollywood must consolidate, whether or not the states can win, trouble at X-Box, Netflix’s YouTube binge, and more. Plus, I have five images that visualize this merger and the harm, including three brand new data looks you’ve never seen before. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Can The States and the WGA Stop Hollywood’s Consolidation (Crisis)? If every other newsletter and news outlet is writing about the same story, I try to avoid writing about it as well, but I can’t ignore a story this consequential. The story of the last year was the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery, and this development potentially extends that saga into 2027. As I tried to figure out my angle, I realized, like my last column, I’m again faced with a series of questions. These questions, though, are much more forward-looking. Will the states win? Will the WGA win? If so, what happens to Warner Bros. Discovery? Either way, will this chill the market for future mergers? So you know what that means: predictions. About the future, no less, the hardest thing to predict.1 Just remember: nothing here comes with a guarantee. And the more confident someone is in their predictions, the less you should trust them. This situation is incredibly fluid, nuanced, uncertain and tenuous. So let’s try to explain what may happen. Question: Why File this Lawsuit? I’ll admit, a few months back, I was fairly pessimistic about the fate of this lawsuit. Rumors had started bubbling up that the state Attorneys General (in particular California) wanted to settle with either some minor divestments (usually CNN) or behavioral remedies. And that tracked for me: the states usually settle lawsuits, like the recent John Deere right-to-repair suit. Yet, they plan to fight this. (As they did the LiveNation-Ticketmaster monopolization trial and the Nexstar-Tegna merger.) Honestly, that also makes a ton of sense. Frankly, this move is just good politics for these State AGs. Most are still running for higher and higher office in blue states—some folks have emphasized that only Democratic AGs joined this suit, but given the Ellison/Trump ties, and fears of retribution, that tracks—and a high profile case like this will help them move up the electoral ladder, especially since Paramount and its leadership (the Ellisons, father and heir) have sided with the other side of the political aisle. That makes them unsympathetic to Democratic voters and Hollywood workers in particular. Why did this lawsuit happen? In addition to the very real concerns about industry consolidation, this is why. That said, I don’t think we would have seen this lawsuit for Netflix and Warner Bros., simply because they’re more sympathetic and aligned with Democrats. But those consolidation concerns are real. The “town”—meaning Hollywood and such—really is seeing the damage of mergers on this industry. That’s why the WGA also filed its own lawsuit in defense of workers as well. (Wildcard: What about Europe? Will they try to stop the deal, too? There have been some rumors out of the UK they may try to fight the deal, and UK enforcers just stopped a Getty Images-Shutterstock tie up, so there is precedence. This argument could go either way, though. On one hand, the EU doesn’t need to step in, cause they states are handling it. On the other hand, this could make the EU’s case easier. Just imagine if both sides coordinated. I’ll simply say, “We’ll see!”) Question: Will The State AGs or the WGA Win? Can the state AGs play David to Paramount-Skydance’s Goliath here? That’s really the whole thing, isn’t it? If you know this result, you could make a lot of money. When things are uncertain, it’s tempting to shrug and say, “Eh” meaning it’s a 50/50 proposition. I wouldn’t, though. When in doubt, you should expect that the merging parties succeed. AT&T did successfully buy Warner Bros., after all, and Disney bought Fox without any challenges. Many judges are extremely sympathetic to mergers, and I’d bet the state AGs get a judge who will allow the merger. (Even Obama-appointed judges often allow mergers.) As I understand it, we’ll see two main attacks. First, theatrical films. The AGs are arguing that, when it comes to share of box office and the number of both “wide releases” and blockbuster (or “tentpole”) films, the merging parties will have over 27% market share. Now, the Supreme Court once ruled from on high that any merger that exceeds 30% is presumptively illegal, but that’s guidance, not an ironclad bar. Still, the states will have to argue that this is close to having too much power, and with that power, this will likely further worsen the theater/studio splits in particular. Indeed, as Matthew Stoller pointed out, “just five studios are responsible for 95% of all blockbusters; if this merger goes through, then Paramount and Disney will control 60% of that.” So yes, movie studios will be very concentrated after this merger. Want me to visualize some of that? Well, here’s the share of films that grossed over $200 million at the domestic box office since 2022. (Note: this isn’t all films released in over 3,000 screens, but it is a good look at market power.) First, here are the 43 films by studio: Notice all the blue (Disney), orange (Universal), and purple (Warner Bros)? Yeah, those studios are powerful, and this combines Paramount with one of them. Here’s the look by studio and share of the films that grossed over $200 million: Now, if you look at that and also think, “Huh, should we break up Disney?” I’m with you. I’ve seen some folks poo-poo this idea that this is a real category, but it is! For an upcoming article, I’ve been pulling data on the share of top 100 films at the box office as a share of total box office, and it’s massive. Here’s the chart: (This analysis looks at The-Number’s top 100 films and total domestic box office each year.) To be clear, tentpoles make up 80.7% of the box office each year, so I do think it’s a genuine market. (To be clear, films grossing over $50 million make up 80% of the domestic box office, and films grossing over $100 million make up 64.1%.) I mean, the top 100 films at the box office make up 95% of each year’s grosses. Worse, the combined studios will likely cut output to flex that market power. Everyone can just look at what happened to Disney and Fox to see the precedent. (With fewer films, the remaining theaters have to give more for those few films that remain.) Here’s an image I’ve used a lot, the share of wide-release films from Disney and Fox over time: The AGs will also argue that this consolidation will also impact the cable industry. In this case, the consolidation is actually worse, but that environment is…complicated. Paramount will argue that the cable industry is shrinking. That said, predictions that cable will “go to zero” also don’t look very well supported by the data, as the declines are shrinking, meaning “cable” or “vMVPDs” will likely stabilize at some point. Can the state Attorneys General win on those two main arguments? I honestly don’t know. Again, I’d bet no, since history in general supports that, but it depends on the judge/jury and how they interpret the arguments. Notably, Paramount won’t face accusations about monopoly power in other areas, like streaming, news, sports rights, or vertical integration. I tend to disagree with leaving out sports rights, but I also see the appeal for a simpler case. The states also aren’t really pushing novel theories about labor harm either, which should help. (By the way, Sean McNulty at The Ankler wrote a great run through of potential options, and Capitol Forum also wrote a great paper on theatrical consolidation. Both these pieces predated the lawsuit. Matthew Stoller is also out with his analysis of the pros and cons of the case too.) In some ways, the WGA’s case is even stronger. Quoting Sean McNulty’s summary: “The WGA is citing WARNAMOUNT as crossing a 30% market share in multiple sectors, a number that the Supreme Court has precedent for deeming “presumptively anticompetitive” in a market. According to the WGA numbers, WARNAMOUNT would have represented: - 35% of film writing jobs between 2021 and 2024 - 36% of TV writing projects between 2022 and 2025 - 38% of overall deals between 2021 and 2024” Notably, antitrust enforcers did win recently in the Penguin-Simon & Schuster merger by focusing on labor impact, so don’t count this thinking out. (Wildcard: Will the states try to get a jury trial? Most likely no, they’ll let a judge handle it. If I’m them, though, I’d try to put this in front of a jury. Juries tend to understand monopoly power in a more realistic way than judges faced with legions of economists.) Question: What if They Win? What if They Lose?
AI slop movies are the new direct-to-video cash grabs
An AI startup is trying to capitalize on the hype for Nolan’s The Odyssey.
'The Odyssey' review: Christopher Nolan's new movie is an unexpected spiritual sequel to 'Oppenheimer'
Christopher Nolan makes Homer's material his own — and becomes an Oscar frontrunner in the process.
Is ‘The Odyssey’ Christopher Nolan’s best movie?
Is it possible that Christopher Nolan is only just now hitting his peak as a filmmaker with ‘The Odyssey’?
Marion Concert Band to host movie and space themed performance
The Marion Concert Band will perform a free movie and space themed concert at the Robert Broomhead Bandstand on July 24.
Going to museums, movies, and theater may help your body stay younger
Going to the cinema, visiting museums, or attending concerts may do more than entertain. Researchers found that older adults who regularly participated in cultural activities tended to have bodies that functioned like those of people about three years younger. They believe stronger social ties, better mental health, and healthier habits could help explain the link, although more research is needed to determine whether cultural activities directly slow aging.
Bundesliga inks $100 million U.S. TV deal to air on USA Network and Fandango
Versant is adding live sports to a platform that most U.S. fans know best for purchasing movie tickets.
Movie theater chain says it's moving to Swansea. What we know
Local movie theater chain Entertainment Luxury Cinemas said it is coming to the Swansea Crossing plaza, where a long-vacant Regal once stood.
47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.
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The Quintessential Trump-era Politician
In 2020, I wrote an article about collaboration and collaborators. The title was History Will Judge the Complicit, and it started with the story of two famous East Germans, Markus Wolf and Wolfgang Leonhard, who both landed in East Berlin just after the end of the war. Although they came from very similar backgrounds, the former stuck with the regime, eventually becoming its spy boss; the latter, horrified by the brutal reality of Soviet-style communism, escaped. By way of juxtaposition, I also wrote about Lyndsey Graham and Mitt Romney. These two men also made very different decisions when confronted by Donald Trump’s assault on the ideals that they had both grown up believing: A glance at their biographies would not have led many to predict what happened next. On paper, Graham would have seemed, in 2016, like the man with deeper ties to the military, to the rule of law, and to an old-fashioned idea of American patriotism and American responsibility in the world. Romney, by contrast, with his shifts between the center and the right, with his multiple careers in business and politics, would have seemed less deeply attached to those same old-fashioned patriotic ideals. Most of us register soldiers as loyal patriots, and management consultants as self-interested. We assume people from small towns in South Carolina are more likely to resist political pressure than people who have lived in many places. Intuitively, we think that loyalty to a particular place implies loyalty to a set of values. But in this case the clichés were wrong. It was Graham who made excuses for Trump’s abuse of power. It was Graham—a JAG Corps lawyer—who downplayed the evidence that the president had attempted to manipulate foreign courts and blackmail a foreign leader into launching a phony investigation into a political rival. It was Graham who abandoned his own stated support for bipartisanship and instead pushed for a hyperpartisan Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. It was Graham who played golf with Trump, who made excuses for him on television, who supported the president even as he slowly destroyed the American alliances—with Europeans, with the Kurds—that Graham had defended all his life. By contrast, it was Romney who, in February, became the only Republican senator to break ranks with his colleagues, voting to impeach the president. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office,” he said, is “perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” In the wake of Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday, I wrote about him again. He was, in many ways, the quintessential politician of Trump’s Washington, a man who shifted 180 degrees. Graham had been a fervent American patriot, proud reserve officer and military lawyer; he became one of the most important defenders of a president who believes soldiers are “suckers and losers” and shows no respect for law of any kind. As his politics changed, his language grew coarser and his behavior grew worse: He urged Israel to “level the place” in Gaza, and insulted the Danish prime minister in Munich, prompting a colleague, Senator Elissa Slotkin, to issue an apology. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which you can read in The Atlantic (gift link here) Like his close friend John McCain, Graham believed that America should stand at the center of a broad democratic alliance. The few times I met him were in that context, at the Munich Security Conference or at other European-American gatherings, which he once attended with great regularity. He also took seriously the practice of American democracy at home. In a 2014 conversation with The Atlantic, he described himself as a pragmatic politician who eschewed populist slogans. “I know Washington is broken, but what’s broken about it is everybody yelling and nobody trying to fix it,” he said. “I’m trying.” When Donald Trump first appeared in U.S. politics, Graham recognized him immediately for what he was: the spokesman for an alien ideology, one radically different from the idealistic patriotism that Graham had practiced and preached since childhood. Trump privately mocked the military that Graham loved as nothing but “suckers and losers.” He put falsehoods, cynicism, and personal greed at the center of his politics, while expressing disdain for transparency, accountability, and democracy itself. In 2015, Graham described Trump as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” who should “go to hell.” Also as a “nutjob.” When Trump won, Graham understood, as did so many others, that he would have to make some important choices. For a while, he went silent. In the spring of 2016, I saw him at one of those conferences in Europe. He seemed too depressed to speak. But then, like many other Republicans—and, more important, like many other people who have lived under political occupation or experienced radical regime change—he made the decision to abandon his previous ideals, to bury the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a loud, opportunistic collaborator. As I wrote in 2020, it’s very hard to look in to anyone’s heart and to understand their motivations from the outside. But it does seem that Graham had a deep need to be relevant, to be in the game, to be a player, at any cost. And that, rather than any particular achievement, is what he will be remembered for. Continuing to monitor conflicts of interest, ostentatious emoluments, outright corruption and policy changes that will facilitate outright corruption. (Read my original article, Kleptocracy Inc and check out the SNF Agora Institute chart) June 27 Trump diverted funds from more than 900 projects nationwide—including safety upgrades at national parks—to finance beautification projects around Washington, including $700,000 used to fix a White House walkway. June 28 After a years-long Department of Justice investigation into Abbott Laboratories over its management of a baby formula facility where potentially deadly bacteria turned up enough evidence to criminally charge the firm, top department officials instead opted for a financial penalty—illustrating the department’s move away from strict corporate enforcement under the Trump administration. June 29 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stacked the Defense Policy Board—which is charged with providing independent national security recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of Defense—with Trump allies, including tech billionaire Marc Andreessen, who has invested in defense contractors like OpenAI and SpaceX, after purging the panel last year. Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of stock in Axon—which makes about 90% of US tasers—two weeks before ICE solicited bids for a $220 million taser contract. The White House unveiled limited-edition US passports for America’s 250th birthday, featuring a portrait of Trump overlaid on the Declaration of Independence. June 30 Trump made around $1.2 billion from his various crypto companies last year, including more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial and $600 million from sales of his meme coin. Trump is considering issuing 250 pardons to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. These are expected to be largely doled out through the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s informal network of intermediaries. White-collar defense attorneys say they can typically win pardons for clients for $2 million. Last year, Trump administration officials awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million to Clark Construction for the White House ballroom—negotiations in which the president was directly involved. July 1 The Amazon MGM Studios documentary about Melania Trump earned the First Lady more than $10 million. Trump made hundreds of individual stock purchases worth as much as $12.8 million the day before his announcement pausing “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days sent the S&P 500 soaring nearly 10%—one of the largest single-day gains ever. Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral saw record surges in revenue during Trump’s first year in office, earning $77.5 million and $121.9 million respectively, compared to average annual revenues of $25 million and $75 million during Trump’s first term. Entities across the Persian Gulf paid more than $300 million to Trump’s businesses last year, including $263 million from the sale of half his stake in World Liberty Financial to a firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a top UAE royal and brother of the country’s president. Kash Patel failed to properly disclose his stock purchase of a Department of Justice contractor, MicroStrategy, worth up to $250,000 last year, despite laws requiring disclosure within 45 days of the trade. July 2 Trump has been directing administration officials to steer more government contracts—so far worth more than $2.4 billion—to Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin aerospace firm, after Amazon gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, donated to the White House ballroom project, and reached a $40 million deal to license a Melania Trump documentary. Alongside the billions he made from cryptocurrency last year, Trump earned millions of dollars from real estate licensing fees, including $21 million from organizations in the UAE and $9.2 million in Saudi Arabia, along with smaller sums from merchandise sales, including $4.7 million from Trump Watches and $35,920 from 45 Guitar, a guitar brand endorsed by the president. House Democrats accused consultants tied to the Trump administration of financial fraud, alleging they gave prospective donors to America250—the bipartisan committee created by Congress to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial—the banking and routing numbers for Freedom 250, the White House’s fund for events like the UFC cage fight. Democrats also allege that Freedom 250’s CEO traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos to solicit donations from foreign government officials and business leaders. The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of gun regulations would lift the prohibition on mailing handguns to individuals, a significant win for GrabAGun—the direct-to-consumer firearm retailer on whose board Donald Trump Jr. sits and in which he holds a 1.1% ownership stake. GrabAGun currently must rely on a middleman to transfer firearms to customers. Trump’s financial disclosure revealed that he made more than 21,000 securities trades during his first year back in office, growing his investment account to at least $858 million across stakes in around 1,600 companies, compared to the 13 total trades Joe Biden made during his entire presidency. July 4 Nearly 1 million people who bought the president’s meme coin—Trump Coin—collectively lost $3.8 billion on the token, while he walked away with $636 million. July 6 Shares of Dell closed up 4.4% after Trump recommended people buy the firm’s computers during a speech announcing the launch of Trump investment accounts for children, boosting the more than $1 million worth of shares the president owns in the company. July 9 Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh named crypto investor and Trump ally Marc Andreessen to a task force aimed at modernizing the Federal Reserve, including rethinking its approach to inflation—a key factor keeping interest rates elevated. Palm Beach International Airport has officially changed its name to Trump International Airport—a move that will require Florida to pay royalties to the president’s family for licensing his name. I was there a few months ago, during a trip to Barcelona. The sculptures were a revelation, I’d never seen so many together before. Each one has its own personality. Enjoy the good weather, if you are lucky enough to have it. History Will Judge the Complicit The Quintessential Politician Autocracy Inc Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
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