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Toy Story 5, Backrooms and The Breadwinner Vie to Become the Second Biggest Film This Year...

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Often, people blame “data” for ruining Hollywood, when I’d argue that hype (which can often be debunked by data) is often worse, as you can see in these two headlines. To use a common meme, here’s how it started: and how it’s going: Earlier this year, I read countless (and I mean countless) articles (in almost every mainstream media outlet) about how Heated Rivalry was a huge hit and that it “heated” interest in hockey. But Heated Rivalry wasn’t a huge viewership hit compared to the hype: [ ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) [ You Can’t Eat Buzz…Did Heated Rivalry’s Buzz Translate into Actual Viewership? ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) Entertainment Strategy Guy · Jan 22 [ Read full story ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) In this case, the hype (Heated Rivalry is really popular) belied the data (It didn’t make the top ten charts, meaning it wasn’t a huge hit.1) Even worse, every time I write about this, I get a lot of negative feedback, hence why I only sparingly mention the show these days or add lots of caveats when I write about it, but this just further cements the hype. But companies, and the executives leading them, have to determine strategy based on reality, not media coverage. The NHL committed real marketing dollars to a campaign that didn’t work. Sure enough, the latest NHL season opened to under a million viewers. At some point, you have to focus on what the data says, because real dollars are at stake. And that’s why we have the Streaming Ratings Report! To provide and analyze cold, hard data. Luckily, this week, I can be positive and take a look at a huge opening on streaming, along with a very buzzy horror film that customers kind of like, but don’t really love. And a comedy that tried to rebound on streaming. Today, I’m covering two weeks—21-Sep and 28-Sep—so we have a lot to discuss (nearly 5,000 words worth), including a series of film misses for Netflix, another argument for weekly-released TV shows on streaming, another sitcom tries to avoid the comedy curse, Netflix has two new game shows (one powered by AI), Reacher falling off the charts after a huge run, Prime Video tries its hands at the romcom game**,** a look at the WNBA’s big season, a big night for the VMAs on CBS and MTV, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of September 14th to October 4th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - Two Hits and a Miss Come to Streaming… Three very interesting films came to streaming in one week, and I like comparing them since they show the range of theatrical films. One was a huge blockbuster, one was popular, and one was neither. One is a horror film, a buzzy genre; one is a comedy, a struggling genre; and one is an animated family film, the king of the box office. One went to a tiny streamer (HBO Max), one went to a second-tier streamer (Disney+), and one went to the biggest (Netflix). So… If you just went by box office, you’d expect Backrooms—the $197 million grosser, and partner of Obsession for “YouTube Horror Summer”—to dominate on streaming. If you read this report, though, you know that horror films don’t do great on streaming, and that’s the case again. Backrooms opened at 3.8 million hours according to Nielsen, and had 3.9 million hours in its second week. Here’s how that stacks up to other HBO Max films: We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… ...why I don’t buy Backrooms budget… …two new games shows arrive on streaming… …another sitcom struggles… ...another argument for putting out shows weekly on Netflix... ...and a whole lot more, nearly 5,000 words more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you want an idea of just how much content you’d get in a full issue, check out this older issue. Coming Soon! Next week, I’ll be taking a look at the eighth season of Hulu’s The Kardashians, answering the question: will this show ever make the charts? If Mormon wives can make it, surely one of social media’s most popular families can as well. Also, Prime Video has a new horror show based on popular IP, Carrie, Netflix has a horror show starring Josh Hartnett, Below, and Apple TV has a UK import, Small Prophets. Plus a bunch of movies like Disclosure Day heading to Peacock, The Housemaid coming to HBO Max, Ben Affleck’s latest on Apple TV, Animals, and Matchbox the Movie on Apple TV, a John Cena action comedy inspired by Hasbro’s toy cars. The week after is even busier! I’ll look at another IP-based horror show, Crystal Lake, a new MCU show on Disney+, VisionQuest, season two of The Lowdown on FX/Hulu, the fourth seasons of The Diplomat on Netflix and Tulsa King on Paramount+, another season of Love is Blind, and four straight-to-streaming films: Netflix’s Sacrifice (starring Chris Evens, Anya-Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, John Malkovich, Salma Hayek. Charlie XCX), Apple TV’s Tenzing (starring Tom Hiddleston and Willem Defoe), Prime Video’s Love of Your Life (Margaret Qualley) and Masterplan (Stanley Tucci) and a whole lot more, somehow. Long term, here’s some huge IP news: a Game of Thrones movie is coming to theaters, Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest in 2029, while Jon Watts (who helmed three of the most recent Spider-Man movies) is directing the next Star Wars trilogy, to be written by Simon Kinberg. I’m cautiously optimistic for both. It feels obvious to say that making good movies matters, but for bets this big (Star Wars is on a swoon, Game of Thrones hasn’t been to theaters yet), the quality has to be there.

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Streaming’s Biggest Show Returns…and a Buzzy Genre Struggles

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Obviously, the big news of the week (if not month) is Netflix letting go of executive Bela Bajaria, their chief content officer. I’m going to cover this in my next “Most Important Story of the Week”, but I also have a data angle that I might publish before then. (Too much news this month, am I right?) But first, I have a bonus Streaming Ratings Report issue for you. Today’s article is a bit of a grab bag of topics I’ve wanted to write about, but couldn’t squeeze into the (already very long) Streaming Ratings Report issues. The NFL drives huge viewership numbers, so I’ve got a look at that. A whole bunch of TV shows returned to the traditional broadcast channels, and I have thoughts. And I have a quick look at adult animated shows, since a couple flopped earlier this month. Plus, the Emmys aired earlier this month, and we got some fun data bout how popular those nominated shows are and why I’m not optimistic about the show’s future. That’s a lot, so let’s dive right in. Subscribe Sports - Football Remains the King of Streaming Over the last two Streaming Ratings Reports, I sorta ignored the biggest “show” each week. (I was tempted to say “piece of content” but I know that word bugs folks.) In my database, I call these “specials”, and they sure are special. I speak of the king of American TV: football!!! Streaming football is back and, unlike some other sports, it routinely dominates all viewership. Probably the best way to show this is to update one of my favorite graphics, the “40 Million Hour Club”1 since football games have joined that club each week they’ve premiered: (Yep, that’s the data through 28-Sep, the first four weeks of the season. As a reminder, I take the average minute audience provided by Nielsen, factor out a percentage of linear TV viewers in home markets, and multiply the run time by the three-hour runtime.) Again, the numbers are huge. Let’s start with Netflix. They grabbed the rights to the bonus opening week NFL Kickoff game (which was on YouTube last year) and it put up 18.5 million viewers on average. That nets out to 47.4 million hours of estimated streaming hours. That’s good! Though, notably, it’s well below Christmas Day games from previous years. Compared to other streamers/broadcasters, that’s a bit of a mixed result. On one hand, Netflix’s 18.5 million average is about what YouTube claimed last year, though Nielsen used a bespoke methodology at that time, so I trust this viewership figure more. So that’s good. (The game also shifted from a Friday to a Thursday and that could have helped the viewership as well.) And Netflix continues to best Prime Video in total viewership—as you’ll see next—though Netflix has had much higher-profile (opening week and Christmas Day) games. NBC/Peacock’s opening game the night before averaged 25.1 million average viewers, which is just much bigger than Netflix (or Prime Video). That’s the big caveat to all streaming viewership records: even in success, they can’t compete with traditional linear TV. Previously, I called this my “hierarchy of viewership”, and the data keeps supporting that thesis. The downside for NBC is that this game’s viewership was down compared to previous years, though it may be a counting issue. Here’s a great chart from Sports Media Watch: Indeed, looking at all the opening week games across all windows, Netflix still lags the other primetime windows, but does well compared to the afternoon games: I saw a few folks make the case that streamers still lag traditional broadcasters in reach, and I’d add they really lag compared to “broadcast plus streaming” options like NBC/Peacock, ESPN/Disney+ and CBS/Paramount+. The best data I saw for this came from Samba TV, who charted reach through the 2025 season, and, wow. (Samba TV’s numbers are historically lower than Nielsen’s, so don’t compare their household figures to Nielsen’s hours, but use them as a proxy for the relative reach of the streamers.) The good news is Prime Video is NOT having a down year. Their opening Thursday Night Football game reached 18.6 million viewers (about what Netflix got), but that’s a high for Prime Video on Thursdays and the biggest Thursday night game since 2015. The TNF games the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep continued this streak, getting 43.1 (16.8 million average viewers) and 42.5 total hours (16.6 million average viewers), which were both up from last year. Still, that continues the (typical) season slide: (For those new-to-streaming-football-numbers folks, the viewership declines for Thursday Night Football as the year goes along.) Overall, it appears as if Prime Video is now part of the “football habit”, be it for customers at home or out at places like bars and restaurants. And its viewership is slowly catching up to broadcast. One last chart shows this. Last season, Nielsen started adding out-of-home viewership to the charts, so I try not to do season-to-season comparisons as I did for the first few years. And while Nielsen added Big Data viewing this year, I’m going to compare the last two seasons. Here’s that chart, which shows the season-over-season gains: When it comes to streaming football, we have to keep a few seemingly contradictory thoughts in our head… First, streaming doesn’t come close to matching broadcast’s reach and, thus, viewership. Second, even with that gap, football is still the biggest “thing” on streaming. It’s very, very popular. Third, while some methodology changes have likely helped Prime Video’s numbers, their viewership does appear to be growing. Lastly, yeah, the NFL started the season off poorly, with week one dragging down the numbers in year-over-year comparisons. However—and again, methodology changes may have helped this—the viewership grew compared to previous seasons over the next couple of weeks. So football is still king. On streaming and off. Television - Adult Animation Continues to NOT Make the Streaming Charts In the last two reports, two adult-animated shows whiffed: Netflix’s animated comedy, Dang! Paramount+’s Sega-video-game-inspired fantasy/comedy, Golden Axe. Neither made the charts, but that’s usually the case for animated shows. I mean, here’s literally every animated show that’s made the Nielsen Original charts since the start of 2025: And one of those shows is G_abby’s Dollhouse_! A kids show! The problem with charts like this is that they don’t give you a sense of how many shows miss the charts. Netflix had at least eleven animated flops, including comedies like Big Mouth (a show everyone assumed was popular in the pre-Streaming Ratings Era), Long Story Short, Haunted Hotel, Mating Season, Strip Law, and Alley Cats, and action shows like Blood of Zeus, Castlevania: Nocturne, Devil May Cry, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Prime Video had at least six animated misses, two in the same universe (Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss), three more comedies (#1 Happy Family USA, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy and Kevin) and an action show (The Mighty Nein). Disney+ had MCU and Star Wars animated misses (Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, Star Wars: Visions, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, and Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld) but I can’t tell how many of those shows were geared towards adults. HBO Max had Harley Quinn and Hulu had Solar Opposites. None of these shows made the charts! That’s a lot of misses! If I remade the chart with all those misses, here’s how it would look: Listen, I know the counter arguments. First, it’s cheaper to produce animated shows than live action. Fair enough, but with viewership this low, even that cheaper price point starts to not matter. Second, just look at the acquired charts. Hit animated comedies can generate viewership for years! Shows like The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers do really, really well. Fair enough, but streaming has failed to recreate the dynamic that Fox has mastered so well. That’s a problem for streaming still. Television - Emmys! The annual Emmys broadcast was a few weeks ago, and I’ve got data on how the nominees performed on streaming, plus hot takes on this year’s viewership (and the big news about the broadcast’s, er, streamcast’s future). We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… The top Emmy-nominated shows… ...why I’m worried about the future of the Emmys telecast... ...the pros of broadcast television ...and the cons... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, we’ve got a double issue (since the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep were so light), but then I’ll be all caught up after a deluge of streaming ratings data from Nielsen in September. In the meantime, I’m going to try to take a look at Netflix’s stats to explain why Bela Bajaria is out. But even light weeks give me plenty to talk about. The Great British Baking Show returns to Netflix and Apple TV has a buzzy new star-studded comedy. And Netflix has a controversial-but-appears-to-be-popular new game show. Plus big films like Toy Story 5, Backrooms and The Breadwinner head to streaming. And is East of Eden a hit? After that, The Kardashians return to Hulu, Prime Video has a reboot of Carrie, and Netflix has a horror show, Below. Disclosure Day heads to Peacock, The Housemaid heads to HBO Max_,_ a new Ben Affleck film, Animals, lands on Netflix, and Apple TV has a new John Cena action film based on, checks notes, Hasbro’s Matchbox toys. Okay. Longterm, some interesting TV production news. HBO Max ordered How to Survive Without Me, starring Kaley Cuoco, Joshua Jackson, Ray Romano and Rita Wilson, for fifteen episodes! I love that some streamers (or, at least, HBO Max) are finally ordering TV shows with more than eight episodes. In less wise production news, Landman does not appear to be coming back this year, since it just started production. Frankly, I don’t love this (get your shows out on time) but Landman is so popular, I doubt it matters.

Ben Affleck on ‘Great Terms’ With Ex Jennifer Lopez, Wants to Keep Her and Jennifer Garner ‘Happy’
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Oct 18 • 9:12 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck has no regrets over box office bomb ‘Surviving Christmas’ for this reason

Ben Affleck explained why working with the late James Gandolfini changed his perspective on ‘Surviving Christmas.’

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Oct 17 • 8:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Joe Manganiello reveals plot of Ben Affleck’s scrapped Batman film

Joe Manganiello shared a detailed plot description for Ben Affleck’s unmade ‘Batman’ movie, which would have seen Deathstroke ‘dismantle Batman’s entire life.’

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Oct 17 • 8:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Joe Manganiello reveals plot of Ben Affleck’s scrapped Batman film

The actor would have played the assassin Deathstroke as he attempted to “dismantle Batman’s entire life,” according to his new memoir “Bloodlines.”

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Oct 17 • 8:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck calls “Justice League” ‘low point’ in career, says Zack Snyder getting taken off movie was ‘s---ty’

“One of the s---tiest things I’d ever seen.”

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Oct 13 • 11:33 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck Denies He's Considering Move Into Politics - 'That's a Very Depressing World'

Ben Affleck has ruled out ever turning his hand to politics.

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Oct 12 • 2:01 PM EDT • Politics • ca.style.yahoo.com
The Future of Entertainment 25: New Stars, Studios & Storytellers

MrBeast. Bad Bunny. YouTube bosses. Ben Affleck. Hollywood doesn't make the rules now — and showbiz has never looked wilder

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Oct 12 • 8:01 AM EDT • Entertainment • theankler.com
Ben Affleck says political 'hypocrisy, corruption and failure' left him 'disillusioned'

The actor, who once campaigned for Al Gore and Barack Obama, says he's now 'averse' to politics due to corruption.

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Oct 12 • 1:28 AM EDT • Politics • pagesix.com
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40%
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33%
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27%
Ben Affleck shares rare insight into coparenting dynamic with Jennifer Garner: ‘I’m really, really grateful’

Ben Affleck reveals that he and ex Jennifer Garner have a ‘really wonderful’ coparenting dynamic, and devote their energies toward their three children.

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Oct 9 • 10:21 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Ben Affleck is a political 'Animal' in new Netflix thriller

Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.

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Oct 9 • 10:07 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
‘Animals’ Review: The Politician’s Dilemma

Ben Affleck plays a mayoral candidate who’s having a very bad day in this fizz-free political thriller.

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Oct 8 • 7:00 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Ben Affleck may have subtly exposed he owns a prayer candle with his face on it

The actor might have revealed he owns his own merch.

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Oct 8 • 4:26 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck gets real about marriage drama

Ben Affleck has his share of crying scenes in movies, even early in his career. The gut-wrenching goodbye of “Armageddon,” for instance, or the dad of “Jersey Girl” talking with

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Oct 8 • 11:34 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Ben Affleck explains why he was banned from Instagram twice

The actor also weighed in on his iconic smoking meme.

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Oct 7 • 1:28 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck talks 'Animals,' living in LA longer than Boston

Affleck talks crafting an "LA story" and the lesson from his high school drama teacher he tapped while filming the new thriller.

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Oct 7 • 5:30 AM EDT • Politics • bostonglobe.com
Will Ben Affleck Get Join Politics Now? Animals Actor Has Answered

Ben Affleck’s latest movie Animals puts him in an unusual political role. He plays Mark Kimball, a mayoral candidate whose campaign is thrown into chaos when his son is kidnapped. While promoting the ...

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Oct 7 • 1:44 AM EDT • Politics • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck recreates iconic “Good Will Hunting” scene, swaps out Matt Damon for Kerry Washington

Affleck’s new thriller, “Animals,” premieres on Netflix on Oct. 9.

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Oct 6 • 5:22 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck says he'd never run for political office

In "Animals," Ben Affleck plays a mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. In real life, he says, holding public office "would be an awful job."

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Oct 6 • 4:52 PM EDT • Politics • usatoday.com
Ben Affleck explains why politics is not for him
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Oct 6 • 4:52 PM EDT • Politics • freep.com
Ben Affleck on Why He Wont' Run for Political Office

Ben Affleck weighs in on what he thinks is wrong with today's political system and explains why he won't run for office.

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Oct 2 • 12:38 AM EDT • Politics • variety.com
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Netflix's 11 best new movies and shows in October, including Halloween favorites

Florence Pugh's "East of Eden" and Ben Affleck's "Animals" lead a month packed with new releases and horror classics.

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Oct 1 • 4:54 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
9 celebrity couples who called off their weddings

From Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck to Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney, these couples got engaged and called it quits faster than you can say “I do.”

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Sep 30 • 8:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
The 11 best new Netflix shows and movies in October, including Halloween favorites

Florence Pugh's "East of Eden" and Ben Affleck's "Animals" lead a month packed with new releases and horror classics.

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Sep 30 • 3:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Casey Affleck says childhood friend Matt Damon was a ‘show-off’ when they were kids

The actor, whose older brother Ben Affleck was Damon’s childhood best friend, said there was “no doubt” that “The Odyssey” star would succeed in Hollywood.

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Sep 28 • 4:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ana Navarro tried using Matt Damon to set up Ben Affleck and Shakira after actor’s 2nd Jennifer Lopez split

“I want better for Shakira though. From a dating standpoint, he seems a little messy,” Navarro’s “View” cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin added.

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Sep 28 • 1:45 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Casey Affleck admits he was ‘mad’ after being called a Hollywood outsider in 2016

Casey Affleck reflects on being called a Hollywood outsider in 2016. Ten years later, the Oscar winner and ‘Company’ director has learned to embrace the label.

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Sep 28 • 12:27 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Casey Affleck ‘hasn’t’ heard from Christopher Nolan after asking for 'Tenet' explanation
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Sep 28 • 12:12 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Casey Affleck ‘hasn’t’ heard from Christopher Nolan after asking for 'Tenet' explanation
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Sep 28 • 12:06 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Casey Affleck ‘hasn’t’ heard from Christopher Nolan after asking for “Tenet ”explanation

The actor called Nolan for insight into the film amid an argument with his son.

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Sep 28 • 10:01 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck says Jennifer Garner was ‘very wise’ to turn down playing his wife in new movie

The actor joked that the decision was “probably for the best,” adding, “That lesson’s been learned.”

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Sep 25 • 3:03 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck says 17-year-old kid roasted him over relationship advice: ‘Oh, like you’re the expert’

The actor has three children, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

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Sep 25 • 11:01 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
How Ben Affleck’s Kids Have Turned His Hollywood Dating History Into Family Entertainment

Ben Affleck‘s kids are having good laughs from his past romances. The three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel, whom the […]

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Sep 25 • 10:50 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck Almost Reunited on Screen After 23 Years

Ben Affleck revealed why Jennifer Garner didn’t end up starring in his new Netflix thriller, Animals. The actor-director explained how a series of unexpected production changes led to Garner’s departu...

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Sep 21 • 7:10 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Ben Affleck Almost Cast Ex-Wife Jennifer Garner in His Netflix Film ‘Animals’: ‘She Was Like, “We Don’t Want to Do That”’

Ben Affleck says he almost cast his ex-wife Jennifer Garner in his Netflix thriller "Animals," but knew it'd come with "baggage."

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Sep 20 • 8:35 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Watch the Tense New Trailer for Ben Affleck's Netflix Thriller 'Animals'

Ben Affleck wrote and directed the movie, a thriller about the son of an L.A. mayoral candidate being kidnapped.

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Sep 20 • 9:05 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Casey Affleck poses alongside eldest son Indiana, 22, during rare red carpet appearance

Indiana and younger brother Atticus, 18, appear in Casey’s new movie “Company.”

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Sep 9 • 10:48 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
An Elon Musk documentary and a Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem thriller premiere at Venice

The Venice Film Festival is showcasing several high-profile films Tuesday, including Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk documentary, a thriller with Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and a drama from Casey Affleck.

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Sep 8 • 2:09 AM EDT • Entertainment • seattletimes.com
An Elon Musk documentary and a Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem thriller premiere at Venice

The Venice Film Festival is showcasing several high-profile films Tuesday, including Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk documentary, a thriller with Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and a drama from Casey Affleck | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM

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Sep 8 • 2:05 AM EDT • Entertainment • audacy.com
An Elon Musk documentary and a Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem thriller premiere at Venice

The Venice Film Festival is showcasing several high-profile films Tuesday, including Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk documentary, a thriller with Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and a drama from Casey Affleck | WWL

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Sep 8 • 2:05 AM EDT • Entertainment • audacy.com
10 must-watch Netflix movies coming in fall 2026

Netflix’s fall film slate features Ben Affleck, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charli XCX, and... Jacob Tremblay as the Unabomber. Here are 10 movies to put on your radar.

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Aug 28 • 7:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Bill Maher says Ben Affleck refuses to return to his show after ‘emotional’ clash

Bill Maher said Ben Affleck has refused to come back to ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ after their televised argument over Islam in 2014.

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Aug 19 • 12:24 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Ben Affleck is running for mayor of L.A. when his son is kidnapped in ‘Animals’ teaser

Ben Affleck plays a man running for Los Angeles mayor whose son is kidnapped in the first teaser for ‘Animals.’ The thriller also stars Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and more.

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Aug 12 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's daughter Violet stuns with Baywatch-ready outfit in new pictures

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's daughter, Violet Affleck, looked stylish in red shorts and a white baby tee during her latest outing

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Aug 4 • 10:04 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Cause of death for Ben and Casey Affleck’s mom revealed following pancreatic cancer battle

A cause of death has been revealed for Ben and Casey Affleck’s mom, Chris Affleck, shortly after the Boston family announced that their matriarch had died in June.

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Jul 28 • 3:56 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Ben Affleck opens up about McDonald’s eating habits: ‘All the time’

Ben Affleck has admitted that he eats at McDonald’s ‘all the time’ during a comical appearance on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’

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Jul 23 • 11:25 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Of course Matt Damon told Ben Affleck about landing the lead role in ‘The Odyssey’ before his wife

Matt Damon admitted that he told Ben Affleck about landing the lead role in ‘The Odyssey’ before his wife Luciana Barroso.

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Jul 21 • 6:49 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Matt Damon calls Ben Affleck ‘one of the great loves of my life’

Matt Damon said that his BFF Affleck — whom he called ‘one of the great loves of my life’ — had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to ‘The Odyssey’: ‘He didn’t stop talking for an hour.’

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Jul 16 • 6:01 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Jennifer Garner praises ex-husband Ben Affleck as ‘incredible co-parent’: ‘He’s a great partner in that way’

‘The Five Star Weekend’ actress Jennifer Garner praises ex-husband Ben Affleck as an ‘incredible co-parent,’ and credits their dynamic for ‘freeing’ her to take more acting gigs now.

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Jul 16 • 11:15 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Ben Affleck’s visit to Luna’s Mexican Grill in Swarthmore sends business to the ‘next level’

Cristina Luna Ramirez's restaurant runs on family and the flavors of northern Mexico. Her current success comes after years of hard work, practice, and adaptability.

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Jun 4 • 5:01 AM EDT • Business • inquirer.com
Jennifer Garner reveals how 'upheaval' from Ben Affleck divorce impacted her career

Jennifer Garner says the end of her marriage to Ben Affleck led to such an 'upheaval' in her family life that she 'hardly worked' for years.

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Jun 3 • 2:20 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Ms. Basketball talks entertainment headlines

Savannah Guthrie is hosting a new game show, and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are being sued by a South Florida police department. Christina has all the details.

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May 12 • 11:36 AM EDT • Entertainment • fox5atlanta.com
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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon sued by Miami cops for defamation over portrayal in their movie 'The Rip'

Two Miami police officers are suing Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's production company for defamation, claiming that the actors' recent Netflix crime drama, 'The Rip,' harmed their 'personal and professional reputations.'

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May 9 • 6:32 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Netflix acquires Ben Affleck's AI film-tech firm

Netflix said on Thursday it has acquired InterPositive, a filmmaking technology company founded by Academy Award winner ​Ben Affleck that produces artificial intelligence-powered tools for movie ‌production.

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Mar 5 • 11:02 AM EST • Business • reuters.com
The most memorable 2026 Super Bowl commercials feature Ben Affleck, the cast of 'Jurassic Park,' Benson Boone backflips and more

This year's commercials feature stars like Kylie Kelce and Brian Baumgartner.

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Feb 8 • 10:27 PM EST • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in ‘The Rip’
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Jan 28 • 9:34 PM EST • Entertainment • cnn.com
Matt Damon admits wife Luciana had a crush on Ben Affleck before they met

Matt Damon says that before he met wife Luciana Barroso, she had a crush on Ben Affleck after watching 'Good Will Hunting': 'You got the wrong one?!'

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Jan 24 • 8:00 PM EST • Entertainment • ew.com
This Action Drama Just Hit #1 on Netflix & It's Hands-Down the Best Film of the Year so Far

A high-stakes crime thriller is taking Netflix by storm, with shocking twists, tense action and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Get all the details here.

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Jan 24 • 10:00 AM EST • Entertainment • purewow.com
Inside Blake Lively's messages to Ben Affleck, Matt Damon about 'It Ends With Us'

Messages from 2024 that were unsealed in court show Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds seeking "It Ends With Us" feedback from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

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Jan 22 • 5:42 PM EST • Entertainment • usatoday.com
'Big Short' Michael Burry's unlikely ally in AI crusade: Ben Affleck

Michael Burry of "The Big Short" said Ben Affleck was "clearly a smart guy" after he slammed AI chatbots and called out spending on data centers.

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Jan 19 • 9:34 AM EST • Business • businessinsider.com
Matt Damon says Netflix wants plot repeated 3 or 4 times in movies for viewers watching while on their phones

While promoting his new Netflix movie, Matt Damon said the streamer 'standard way to make an action movie' in light of people watching while on their phones.

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Jan 17 • 5:00 PM EST • Entertainment • ew.com
Ben Affleck reveals the actress Leonardo DiCaprio privately raved to him about

'The Rip' star Ben Affleck says Leonardo DiCaprio and Paul Thomas Anderson have both privately raved to him about working with Teyana Taylor on 'One Battle After Another.' He stars with the recent Golden Globe winner in 'The Rip,' now streaming on Netflix.

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Jan 17 • 12:00 PM EST • Entertainment • ew.com
Ben Affleck’s son wanted to try sports betting. He's far from alone.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ben Affleck shared that his 13-year-old son asked him for sports betting money. The conversation is resonating with viewers.

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Jan 17 • 8:01 AM EST • Sports • usatoday.com
Jennifer Garner got through her divorce with Ben Affleck by avoiding gossip

Jennifer Garner is fully aware that some people are impressed with how she successfully co-parents with her ex-husband Ben Affleck, but it’s not because she read it in a tabloid.

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Jan 8 • 11:20 AM EST • Entertainment • cnn.com