A weekly film and box office newsletter. Howdy, folks! While this weekend's box office is certainly reason to celebrate with Universal/Blumhouse's Gen Z-skewing horror sequel "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" scoring the best post-Thanksgiving weekend ever with $63 million, the mood around Hollywood right now is anxious. Friday's news that Netflix will acquire Warner Bros. set the town on edge, with almost every insider TheWrap spoke to characterizing the move as negative. There are fears that Netflix could reduce Warner Bros.' theatrical output and/or force the shortening of theatrical windows that have kept movie theaters alive, marking what could very well be a deathblow to moviegoing as we know it. One leading Hollywood producer put it plainly: Friday will be known as “the day the theaters died,” he said. “That will be David Zaslav’s legacy. As the guy who killed moviegoing.” Still more are fearful that the deal could completely upend the Hollywood ecosystem by all but eradicating the backend deals and residuals that have been the lifeblood of the business for decades. Then, on Monday, yet another curveball was thrown: Paramount is going hostile, mounting a takeover attempt with a higher all-cash bid presented directly to WBD shareholders. All this as Donald Trump said he'll be "very involved" in whatever regulatory red tape needs to be cut to get Warner Bros. Discovery sold, and we're in for a long 12-18 months. Adam Chitwood 
Box Office: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ Sets Post-Thanksgiving Weekend Record With $63 Million OpeningPost-Thanksgiving weekend is supposed to be a very slow one for movie theaters, but not this year. Along with a strong second weekend hold for... 
To continue reading, subscribe now with a 2-week free trial. Free for 14 Days – Then Just $4/Week 
Free for 14 days, then $4/week (billed annually at $199). Renews yearly. Cancel at anytime during your 14 day trial window to avoid this charge. |
