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When television and movie writers went on strike in May, studios quickly suspended certain first-look deals — mostly those for lesser-established writers. In an escalation of the standoff between studios and the Writers Guild of America — it has entered its fifth month, with no end in sight — Warner Bros. moved late Wednesday to suspend deals with the 1 percent of television writers. Warner Bros. also suspended deals with Greg Berlanti (“Superman & Lois”) and Bill Lawrence (“Ted Lasso”), among others, the people said. A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. declined to comment. A spokesman for the Writers Guild of America had no immediate response.

Persons: Mindy Kaling, Abrams, Warner, Kaling, Greg Berlanti, Lois ”, Bill Lawrence, Ted Lasso ” Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Warner Bros, College Girls

☆ Disney Changes Gears in Suits Against DeSantis and Allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a setback, Disney has changed its legal strategy in Florida, where the company is battling Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies in court for control over Disney World’s growth plan. Disney and Mr. DeSantis, who is running for president, have been sparring for more than a year over a special tax district that encompasses Disney World. Before the takeover took effect, however, Disney signed contracts to lock in development plans — worth some $17 billion over the next decade. An effort by Mr. DeSantis and his allies to void the contracts resulted in dueling lawsuits, with Disney suing Mr. DeSantis and the tax district in federal court and the new appointees returning fire in state court.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, heeding Mr, DeSantis Organizations: Disney Locations: Florida

As the Hollywood union strikes have dragged on, key characters have taken turns in the spotlight. There is Fran Drescher, the comedic actress who, with surprising ferocity, has rallied the actors’ union against television and film companies, and enraged studio executives in the process. But one crucial participant has remained an enigma: Carol Lombardini, 68, the top union negotiator for studios and a 41-year veteran of Hollywood labor battles. Ms. Lombardini has not given an interview of more than a few words since 2009, when she ascended from the No. Studios reached an agreement with the directors’ union in June; the writers last struck in 2008, the actors in 1980.

Persons: Fran Drescher, Robert A, Carol Lombardini, Lombardini Organizations: Hollywood, Disney, Alliance, Television Producers, Studios

In an apparent attempt to break a labor stalemate that has helped bring nearly all of Hollywood production to a standstill, the major entertainment studios took the unusual step on Tuesday night of publicly releasing details of their most recent proposal to the union that represents 11,500 striking television and movie writers. Shortly before the public release of the proposal, several chief executives at the major Hollywood companies, including David Zaslav, who leads Warner Bros. Discovery, and Robert A. Iger, the Disney kingpin, met with officials at the Writers Guild of America, the writers’ union, to discuss the latest proposal, according to three people briefed on the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private session. By releasing the proposal, the companies are essentially going around the guild’s negotiating committee and appealing to rank-and-file members — betting that their proposal will look good enough for members to pressure their leaders to make a deal. Some writers immediately pushed back, including David Slack, whose credits include “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” and “Person of Interest.”

Persons: David Zaslav, Robert A, David Slack, ” Organizations: Hollywood, Warner Bros, Disney, Writers Guild of America

Late-night television shows immediately went dark, and broadcast networks have retooled their fall seasons to include mostly reality series. Both sides had characterized it as a meeting to determine whether it made sense to restart talks. With a strike starting to hurt companies and writers alike, was there a give-and-take to be had? Screenwriters and actors are worried about not receiving a fair share of the spoils of a streaming-dominated future. Many streaming shows have eight to 12 episodes per season, compared with more than 20 made for traditional television.

Persons: ” Karen Bass Locations: Angeles, Los Angeles

☆ For Disney, Streaming Losses and TV’s Decline Are a One-Two Punch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Disney’s streaming operation lost $512 million in the most-recent quarter, the company said, bringing total streaming losses since 2019, when Disney+ was introduced, to more than $11 billion. Disney+ lost roughly 11.7 million subscribers worldwide in the three months that ended July 1, for a new total of 146.1 million. (Last year, Disney lost a bid to renew the expensive rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches.) To make streaming profitable, Mr. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, has shifted the focus at Disney+ away from brisk subscriber growth, which requires expensive marketing campaigns. Instead, Disney has been trying to make more money from the Disney+ subscribers it already has.

Persons: Robert A, —, Disney, Iger Organizations: Disney, Indian Premier League cricket Locations: India

☆ ‘Barbie’ Reaches $1 Billion at the Box Office, Studio Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the history of Hollywood, very few people — 28 to be precise, all men — have had the sole directing credit on a billion-dollar movie. (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” was previously the fastest to $1 billion, at 19 days.) “PINK FEVER,” Mr. Goldstein wrote in a text message. “Barbie” once again disproved a stubborn Hollywood myth: that “girl” movies — films made by women, starring women and aimed at women — are limited in their appeal. An old movie industry maxim holds that women will go to a “guy” movie but not vice versa.

Persons: —, Greta Gerwig, “ Barbie, ”, Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Jeff Goldstein, “ Barbie ”, Harry Potter, Mr, Goldstein Organizations: Warner Bros Locations: United States, Canada

ESPN has been Disney’s financial engine for nearly 30 years, powering the company through recessions, box office wipeouts and the pandemic. With its dual revenue stream — fees from cable subscribers and advertising — the sports juggernaut continues to earn billions of dollars for Disney. In the first six months of the 2023 fiscal year, Disney’s cable networks division, which is anchored by ESPN and its spinoff channels, generated $14 billion in revenue and $3 billion in profit. Disney is now exploring a once-unthinkable sale of a stake in ESPN. Disney has held talks with the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball about taking a minority stake.

Persons: Century Fox, ESPN’s, Robert A, ” Organizations: ESPN, Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, Century, CNBC, National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball

☆ Streep and Clooney Lead Donation Campaign for Striking Actors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hollywood actors have now been on strike for nearly three weeks. They have walked picket lines in broiling heat, orchestrated noisy rallies and flooded social media with cris de coeur. The president of the actors’ union, Fran Drescher, on Tuesday spoke about “greed-driven” studios at a New York City Council meeting. The SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a charity that provides financial assistance to workaday performers, said on Wednesday that Ms. Streep and Mr. Clooney had helped lead a donation campaign that had raised more than $15 million over the last three weeks. The pair each gave $1 million and then started to lobby Hollywood’s other top-earning stars for contributions.

Persons: cris de coeur, Harrison Ford’s, Fran Drescher, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Streep, Clooney Organizations: SAG, AFTRA Foundation Locations: Georgia, New York

☆ ‘Haunted Mansion’ Extends Disney’s Box Office Cold Streak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” took in about $24 million at the weekend box office, a comatose result for a movie that cost at least $200 million to make and market. Competition was also fierce: “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) collected an astounding $93 million in its second weekend, easily claiming first place, while “Oppenheimer” (Universal) racked up about $46.2 million. “Barbie” has now collected more than $750 million worldwide, according to Comscore, which compiles box office data. But “Haunted Mansion” also had the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first big-budget movie to get sideswiped by the Hollywood actors’ strike, which is now in its third week. No red carpet appearances, no social media posts, no interviews on morning news shows and no participation in newspaper or magazine articles.

Persons: Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer ”, “ Barbie ”, ’ Organizations: Warner Bros, Hollywood

☆ With Actors on Strike, Sony Pushes Big Releases to 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hollywood studios, scrambling to contend with a strike by unionized actors, have started to remove big-budget movies from the 2023 release calendar, newly imperiling theaters and undoubtedly irritating fans. “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” is no longer on track for a March premiere, and a new “Karate Kid” will no longer arrive in June. Until now, the 2023 theatrical release schedule had been left relatively unscathed by the actors’ strike, which started on July 14. Warner Bros. has been debating whether to postpone “Dune: Part Two,” which is supposed to arrive in theaters on Nov. 3. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” a big-budget superhero sequel, and “The Color Purple,” based on the Broadway musical, are among other 2023 holiday-season movies that could be delayed.

Persons: Kraven, Hunter ”, ” Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Marvel Comics, Sony, Warner Bros

☆ ‘Barbie’ Box Office to the World: The Pandemic Is Officially Over
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

One high-end theater in the Washington, D.C. suburbs went all out on promotion, with pink lights to highlight “Barbie” and a wall of movie posters featuring both films. Another theater in Arlington, Va., had it worse: The air conditioning went out, leading to a sweltering experience. Studio executives have long pointed out that moviegoing begets moviegoing — that the habit of watching movies in theaters is crucial. “Challengers,” a sports drama involving a love triangle and staring Zendaya, has already been pushed from September to April. “Oppenheimer” helped fuel “Barbie” and vice versa, with their simultaneous release nicknamed Barbenheimer and movie fans captivated by their wild incongruity.

Persons: “ Barbie ”, draping, ”, Jeff Goldstein, Harrison Hood, Maansi Srivastava, Barbie ”, Zendaya, “ Oppenheimer, Barbenheimer, Robert Oppenheimer Organizations: Warner Bros, AMC, New York Times, Hollywood, “, SAG, Universal Pictures, National Association of Theater Locations: Manhattan, Washington, Arlington , Va

☆ Searching for Someone to Deliver a Hollywood Ending
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 1954 Hollywood classic “On the Waterfront” ends with unionized longshoremen on a dock. All of a sudden, an authoritative man in a fancy suit and a natty hat arrives. But the more the entertainment industry looked, the more it became clear that such a person may no longer exist. Traditional studios and the technology companies that have moved into Hollywood have different cultures and business models. There is no studio elder, respected by both sides, to help broker a deal.”

Persons: Marlon Brando, Lew Wasserman, ”, Jason E, Squire, superagent Organizations: Hollywood, University of Southern California’s School, Cinematic Arts, “ Locations: Hollywood

☆ AMC Theater Chain to Stop Charging for Better Seats
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

AMC is abandoning plans to charge more for movie seats depending on their location. But higher prices for center-middle seats at theaters where AMC has been testing the concept will remain in effect this weekend, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are expected to draw significant crowds. AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest theater chain, said on Thursday that it would “pivot away” from a contentious initiative called Sightline, in which seats at evening screenings had three tiers of pricing, ending the long-held cinema custom of charging the same amount for any seat in a theater. But the company plans to start a new trial involving front-row seats, which often go unsold. Later this year, AMC said it would pull out traditional front-row seats and replace them with “large, comfortable, lounge-style seating areas that will allow guests to lay all the way back.”

Persons: “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer, ” Organizations: AMC, AMC Entertainment Locations: New York , Illinois, Kansas

☆ In ‘Barbie’ vs. ‘Oppenheimer,’ the Real Winner May Be the Box Office
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Fury of the Gods” and “Fast X.”The latest “Mission: Impossible” film arrived last weekend to solid results, but below what Hollywood had been expecting. “Oppenheimer” is based on the 2005 biography “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. “Both studios went all-in on original films, directed by notable auteurs with an interest in pushing the envelope,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst. “Barbie” is aimed at women, while “Oppenheimer” has the edge with men. One represents what many cinephiles loathe about Hollywood: movies based on toys.

Persons: moviegoing, John Wick, Indiana Jones, ”, Mario, III, Barbie, “ Oppenheimer, Kai Bird, Martin J, Sherwin, Paul Dergarabedian, ” “ Barbie ”, — Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling —, Cillian Murphy, “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer ” Organizations: Hollywood, Mario Bros, “ Locations: United States, Canada

☆ Actors’ Strike Won’t Halt 39 Independent Projects, Union Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Hollywood actors’ union said Tuesday that it had exempted 39 independent film and TV projects from its strike, including two movies from A24, the secretive New York company that has become a force at the Academy Awards. Talks between the union and the alliance for a new three-year contract broke down on Thursday, and tens of thousands of actors went on strike on Friday. The productions will become subject to the final deal between the union and the studio alliance. The 39 projects include “Mother Mary,” a melodrama co-financed by A24 and starring Anne Hathaway as a fictional musician and Michaela Coel (known for “I May Destroy You” on HBO) as a fashion designer. The second A24 project, “Death of a Unicorn,” stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, who is known for “Wednesday” on Netflix.

Persons: ’, AFTRA, Mary, ”, Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega Organizations: New, Academy, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG, HBO, Netflix Locations: New York

In May, when 11,500 movie and television writers went on strike, Hollywood companies like Netflix, NBCUniversal and Disney reacted with what amounted to a shrug. The walkout wasn’t great, but executives had expected it for months. The angry response from Hollywood’s corporate ranks when actors went out on Friday was dramatically different. The film and TV scripts that studios had banked in case of a writers’ strike have been suddenly rendered inert, deprived of actors to bring them to life. Numerous big-budget movies that had been shooting had to shut down immediately, including “Twisters,” “Venom 3,” “Deadpool 3” and “Gladiator 2."

Persons: ’, “ Twisters, ” Organizations: Hollywood, Netflix, Disney, Labor

☆ ‘Mission: Impossible’ for Tom Cruise: Meeting Hollywood Expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers. “This opening is roughly average for an action thriller at this point in its series,” Mr. Gross said about the ultraexpensive “Dead Reckoning Part One,” which received sensational reviews. Early last week, he made surprise appearances in movie theaters at preview screenings in cities like Toronto, Atlanta and Miami. The blistering promotional campaign for “Dead Reckoning Part One” will be Hollywood’s last until a consortium of studios can come to terms with SAG-AFTRA, as the powerful actors’ union is known.

Persons: ”, David A, Gross, Mr, Cruise, Denzel Washington, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx Organizations: SAG, Universal, Sony, Disney Locations: United States, Canada, Rome, London, Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Toronto, Atlanta, Miami

☆ In Hollywood, the Strikes Are Just Part of the Problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Existential hand-wringing has always been part of Hollywood’s personality. But the crisis in which the entertainment capital now finds itself is different. They joined 11,500 already striking screenwriters, who walked out in May over similar concerns, including the threat of artificial intelligence. Actors and writers had not been on strike at the same time since 1960. “Now it’s a walled-in vacuum.”

Persons: wringing, ’, ” Fran Drescher

“The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us,” Ms. Drescher said in a statement. “Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.”It would be the first time that actors and screenwriters were on strike at the same time since 1960, when Marilyn Monroe was near her peak. “We are deeply disappointed that SAG-AFTRA has decided to walk away from negotiations,” the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of Hollywood companies, said in a statement. Many of the actors’ demands mirror those of the writers, including higher wages, increased residual payments (a type of royalty) from streaming services and aggressive guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence to preserve jobs. Guild leadership also wants new regulations regarding self-taped auditions, a pandemic phenomenon that has resulted in significantly fewer live casting sessions.

Persons: ” Ms, Drescher, Marilyn Monroe, AFTRA Organizations: Disney, Universal, Sony, Paramount, Netflix, Apple, SAG, Alliance, Television Producers, Hollywood

☆ Bob Iger to Remain as Head of Disney Through 2026
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A spokeswoman for Mr. Iger said he was unavailable for an interview. In recent months, as Disney’s troubles have increased, senior executives have privately pressed Mr. Iger to renew. In its statement on Wednesday, Disney took pains to point out that it was the board, not Mr. Iger, that pushed for an extension. Mr. Iger is betting that streaming services will return the company to growth. But Disney+ has been shedding subscribers, and a broader streaming division remains unprofitable, losing nearly $2 billion since the start of the fiscal year.

Persons: Iger, Disney, Mark G, Parker, “ Indiana Jones, ”, ESPN —, ’ Organizations: Disney, ESPN, SAG Locations: Hollywood, Hulu

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