Comic-Con Winners & Losers; How 'Equalizer 2' Beat 'Mamma Mia 2'; Sacha Goes After Cheney; CEO’s Depression

What's news: Equalizer 2 shocks Mamma Mia 2 and wins the weekend box office. Plus: Winners and losers from another Comic-Con, the latest antics on Who Is America? and A Star Is Born's world premiere. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( July 23, 2018 What's news: Equalizer 2 shocks Mamma Mia 2 and wins the weekend box office. Plus: Winners and losers from another Comic-Con, the latest antics on Who Is America? and A Star Is Born's world premiere. — Will Robinson ^Inclusion reigns: Highlights from the four days of Comic-Con include TV's first transgender superhero and strides for women and people of color, even amid James Gunn's firing and Joss Whedon escaping without (serious) question, Lesley Goldberg, Aaron Couch and Borys Kit write: + History on Supergirl: The CW series announced that Nicole Maines, the activist whose case provided an important legal milestone for transgender individuals, will [play]( TV’s first transgender superhero. Ballroom 20, the venue’s second-largest, [exploded in applause]( when the well-spoken Maines made a surprise appearance on stage. + Low diversity ticking up: Actress Yvette Nicole Brown was one of two women of color (Aisha Tyler) to host Hall H panels this year. The casts of The Walking Dead and Arrow praised their new — and first — female showrunners. Shameik Moore wowed the crowd by introducing footage from Sony's animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in which he voices Afro-Latino teen Miles Morales. + Missed opportunities: Warner Bros. brought Lego Movie star Chris Pratt out to promote the sequel, but he did not address James Gunn's Guardians exit. Fantastic Beasts star Johnny Depp made a brief appearance during the movie's panel. His continued involvement in the franchise has been controversial following domestic abuse allegations levied by ex-wife Amber Heard, who dropped the claims as their divorce was settled in 2016. Joss Whedon, the one-time Buffy favorite whose ex-wife called him a "fake feminist" in a scathing essay, escaped hard questions. [More takeaways.]( * Trailers galore: [Watch]( every big TV trailer that debuted, including The Walking Dead, Batwoman, Better Call Saul and Mayans M.C. Denzel's Box Office Upset Equalizer wins: Sony's action sequel starring Denzel Washington outperformed projections and won the box office this weekend, passing Universal's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Pamela McClintock reports: + Equalizer's big weekend: The R-rated Washington-starrer beat projections to the tune of $35.8 million, thanks to an ethnically diverse audience and keen interest among men. The Antoine Fuqua-directed pic earned an A CinemaScore, besting the 2014 original (A-). The original Equalizer opened at $34.1 million. + Mamma Mia's take: Meanwhile, the musical pulled in $34.4 million, which was in line with original projections, albeit less than what was estimated after a strong Thursday and Friday. With an A- CinemaScore, Mamma Mia 2 is earning 22 percent ahead of the 2008 original film. + Blumhouse's small pull: Unfriended: Dark Web came in at No. 9 with an estimated $3.5 million against a tiny production budget of $1 million. [Full report.]( * Skyscraper towers in China: After a disappointing stateside debut, Dwayne Johnson's latest earned $47.7 million in the Middle Kingdom where it [led]( the weekend. Elsewhere in film... ► IATSE members discuss strike. Ten days before contract expiration, almost 2,000 members of IATSE Local 700, the Motion Picture Editors Guild, [gathered]( Saturday in Universal City for an "electric" three-hour meeting charged with enthusiasm for a potential strike. ► A Star Is Born playing Venice. The Bradley Cooper-directed pic starring Lady Gaga will make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 31. The likely Oscar contender marks Cooper's directorial debut and the third time the 1937 classic has been adapted. [[Indiewire](] ► Rome Film Fest honoring Isabelle Huppert. In addition to the previously announced lifetime achievement award planned for Martin Scorsese, the French actress will also [take home]( the fest's top career honor. ► Aquaman's new look. Director James Wan opened up about the oft-maligned superhero and giving the pic a new direction: "It’s designed more like an old-school action-adventure fantasy movie, akin to Lord of the Rings." [[Wired](] * Jason Momoa in action. See the trailer [here](. ► Landmark North Korean film. The Bucheon Film Festival last week [screened]( The Story of Our Home, marking South Korea's first ever public screening of a North Korean film, Lee Hyo-won reports. ► Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Stevens dies. Stevens, who was 77, [shared]( an Oscar nomination for the landmark 1980 Australian historical drama Breaker Morant. [Quoted:]( "I've never wanted to tell another actor they shouldn’t play a role. But in a kind of world where we are constantly under attack and when a cisgender person plays us, that does not further the liberty of trans people." — Laverne Cox, on the Scarlett Johansson Rub & Tug controversy. ^Deals' effect on earnings. Georg Szalai [offers]( what to expect from the key conglomerates as the end of Comcast's bidding war with Walt Disney for 21st Century Fox could put a bigger spotlight on business trends. * New media era. In the age of M&A to stay afloat, Joe Pompeo reflects on the oddity of old rivals joining forces in a murky landscape. [[Vanity Fair](] ► Lin-Manuel Miranda creates arts fund for Puerto Rico. The Hamilton playwright also said Sunday that all funds from the upcoming Hamilton show that will be performed in January in Puerto Rico will be [donated]( to the fund. ► Selma Blair urges Disney to rehire James Gunn. Blair [shared]( her support for Gunn after a conservative media personality discovered controversial old tweets in Gunn's history. "@JamesGunn I thank you for your talent, your decency and your evolution as a man," Blair tweeted. "You propped me up when I was in a scary place, and guided me towards the decent and right thing to do." Diana Prince goes '80s. Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman 1984 [brought]( surprise footage to Comic-Con, and Chris Pine was tight-lipped on how his character Steve Trevor is still alive. Cohen's Follow-Up The latest on Who Is America?: Sacha Baron Cohen introduced a new character and went after a new group of people — including a Georgia state representative who used racist slurs and a Bachelor alum who filmed a PSA supporting the arming of child soldiers — in its second half-hour, Jean Bentley reports: + Veep Cheney targeted: The biggest moment teased before the Showtime series' premiere was Dick Cheney signing what Cohen's character referred to as a "waterboarding kit." It turns out the full segment also included Cohen's Col. Erran Morad asking Cheney which of the wars he started was his favorite (the first Gulf war, for those wondering). + Georgia state rep's showing: Jason Spencer, who made national headlines for introducing a bill to ban covering the face in public (known colloquially as a "Burqa Ban"), did a lot. Spencer took an upskirt photo of a purported terrorist's genitals with a selfie stick, which he was supposed to do by pretending he was Chinese; screamed "the N-word" to intimidate a potential terrorist; and was goaded by Morad to use "his buttocks to intimidate ISIS." [Full recap.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Amazon renews The Man in the High Castle. The pickup for season four of one of Amazon's most popular series comes a couple months ahead of its third-season debut on Oct. 5. ► Michael Strahan, Sara Haines leading new GMA hour. The new hour of the program, which is expected to [air]( weekdays at 1 p.m., is set to debut in September on ABC. ► The CW casts Riverdale villain. The network's Archie Comics drama on Sunday [revealed]( that it has cast Penelope Ann Miller (The Artist) as District Attorney Ms. Wright, who is prosecuting Archie (KJ Apa) in season three. ► USA cancels Colony. The sci-fi drama from Universal Cable Productions and Legendary Television [suffered]( sizable ratings declines in its recently completed third season, averaging a 0.3 rating (394,000 viewers) among adults 18-49 and 1.3 million total viewers. ► Syfy renews Wynonna Earp for season four. While not a ratings breakout, Wynonna Earp, starring Melanie Scrofano, has [become]( a cult favorite and social media powerhouse that has drawn comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer for its portrayal of strong female characters. ► BBC Studios' content chief takes new role. Mark Linsey will [take over]( as BBC Studios' head of content partnerships, with a new director of content to be appointed. [Quoted:]( "I always do a 'fuck' inventory at the end of every script and go, 'Oh, that's way too much.'" — Kurt Sutter, on navigating broadcast standards for writing on FX. ^What's on this week? From Kevin Hart's new reality gig to Hulu's 18th century London drama, THR [highlights]( the must-see new and returning shows. ► SAG-AFTRA, Telemundo deal garners minimums, residuals, and benefits. SAG-AFTRA’s board ratified by acclamation Saturday a deal reached July 12 with Telemundo, [marking]( a first in Spanish-language media and bringing to fruition the promise of a successful unionization vote 15 months earlier. ► Blumhouse nabs Walking Dead alum for The Purge series. Syfy's and USA Network's upcoming The Purge adaptation has [tapped]( Sabrina Gennarino, who played Tamiel in AMC's zombie series. Gennarino will star in the scripted drama for both NBCUniversal-owned cable networks, set to premiere Sept. 3. ► Judge Dredd comics vet penned Mega-City One pilot. Rob Williams is the creative lead for IM Global Television and Rebellion Productions' pilot of the show, which [focuses]( on the authoritarian police force in the overcrowded giant city that encompasses the majority of the East Coast of the United States. No network/streamer has been announced. ► Elmarie Wendel, 3rd Rock From the Sun star, dies. The actress, who also appeared on Seinfeld and NYPD Blue [died]( at 89, her daughter confirmed. Superhero slate. Get all the news from SDCC about the [DC TV]( and [Marvel TV]( universes, including Black Lightning, Legion, Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. A CEO's Essay on Depression Inner demons: Paul Greenberg, the leader of digital video firm Butter Works, reflects on his childhood struggles and a solution after decades of ineffectual therapy: "Please don't give up." + Industry secret: I worked nearly three decades of ten-hour days during which none of my colleagues knew that I was struggling. Sometimes the work was a solace; other times it was simply a massive burden I had to endure. + Finding a way out: By its very nature, depression makes people feel alone. When that is compounded by the fact that people feel ashamed of their condition, it becomes unbearable. If you’re depressed, keep hope. Ask for help, and keep trying. [Full essay.]( * Dealing with anxiety in Hollywood. A professor of behavioral neuroscience [dissects]( how the industry lives in a "bubble," which means special training is needed to navigate times of turmoil. What else we're reading... — "Cosplay Community Looks Out for Their Own Amid #MeToo Era." Mia Galuppo and Katie Kilkenny report: "Comic-Con’s lack of response to the #MeToo movement stands in stark contrast to many large, entertainment industry-adjacent events that have released addendums to their previous codes of conduct." [[THR](] — "Comic Book Publishers, Faced With Flagging Sales, Look to Streaming." Gregory Schmidt reports: "The goal is to reach readers who may not live near a comic book shop but want to keep up with the Avengers and the Justice League. Experts say the direct-to-consumer model also helps compete with streaming services like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video." [[New York Times](] — "In Hollywood, ‘Anything Goes’ Becomes ‘You’re Fired.'" Joe Flint reflects: "Executives and creatives are losing their jobs as the entertainment industry becomes less tolerant of offensive remarks, abusive behavior." [[Wall Street Journal](] — "Portrait of an Artist as an Old Man: Mel Brooks in His 90s." David Denby profiles the comic legend: "No one is ever likely to miss a Mel Brooks joke, since he speaks, sometimes roars, with great precision." [[The Atlantic](] — "Jonathan Gold dies at 57." Andrea Chang remembers: "Food criticism before him — and even during his time — focused on the austere, the high-end, the Michelin stars. Gold redefined the genre, drawn more to hole-in-the-wall joints, street food, mom-and-pop shops and ethnic restaurants than he was to haute cuisine." [[Los Angeles Times](] What's ahead this week... Monday: PBS airs doc Ted Williams: "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived." Tuesday: Verizon and AT&T report their earnings. Wednesday: The mystery of Castle Rock begins on Hulu. Thursday: Comcast reports its earnings. Friday: Disney and 21st Century Fox shareholders hold vote on $71 billion deal... Paramount's Mission Impossible — Fallout and Warner Bros.' Teen Titans GO! To The Movies open... Orange Is The New Black begins season six on Netflix... The streamer also premieres Lizzy Caplan and Michael Pena in sci-fi horror pic Extinction. From the archives... + On July 23, 1982, tragedy struck on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie, when actor Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese children died after a helicopter crashed in Valencia, California. [[New York Times](] Today's birthdays: Lili Simmons, 25, Daniel Radcliffe, 29, Paul Wesley, 36, Tom Mison, 36, Kathryn Hahn, 45, Marlon Wayans, 46, Shawn Levy, 50, Woody Harrelson, 57. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2018 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( July 23, 2018