Netflix Weathers Disney+; Facebook Drama; Box Office 'Breakthrough'; WGA Update; 'Avengers' Leaks; Beyoncé Review

What's news: Netflix shows off solid international growth paired with slow growth at home — and warns of a slow Q2 — in its first earnings report since Apple and Disney unveiled their streamers. Plus: More drama plagues Facebook, Beyoncé's Homecoming doc is out (with a live album) and the TIME 100 has been released. — Will Robinson April 17, 2019 What's news: Netflix shows off solid international growth paired with slow growth at home — and warns of a slow Q2 — in its first earnings report since Apple and Disney unveiled their streamers. Plus: More drama plagues Facebook, Beyoncé's Homecoming doc is out (with a live album) and the TIME 100 has been released. — Will Robinson ^Facing new competition: Netflix added more than 9.6 million subscribers during the first three months of the year but warned that the next quarter could see slower growth, Natalie Jarvey reports: + The company, which was expected to add just under 9 million members during the period, now has 148.9 million total paying members. It ended 2018 with 139 million paying members. + Wall Street reacts: The company's stock was trading down as much as 6 percent after-hours on the earnings report. Netflix's stock market performance is often tied to investor concern over its ability to keep growing a fast clip, and for the second quarter it projected that it will add just 5 million new members, an 8 percent drop year-over-year. Investors will keep an eye on how the streamer continues to grow with a slew of new competition in Disney+, Apple, WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal. + Reed Hastings not worried: "There's a ton of competition out there, and Disney and Apple add a little bit more. But, frankly, I doubt it will be material," the CEO said during a taped Q&A. [Full story.]( * Analysts aren't either, really: "Investors and the media are [obsessed]( with the Disney vs. Netflix narrative, which reminds us of the Amazon vs. Netflix narrative from a few years ago," says BTIG Research analyst Richard Greenfield. Amazon's success with its Prime video service, after all, hasn't slowed Netflix down. This quarter's edition in vague viewership numbers... + Umbrella Academy draws 45 million global viewers: The streaming giant also says that the nature documentary series Our Planet is [on track]( to be viewed by 25 million member households in its first month, and the doc Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened was watched in more than 20 million member homes worldwide. + Triple Frontier was viewed by 52 million households in first month: Netflix [also touted]( viewership numbers for The Highwaymen, starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, saying it is tracking to attract 40 million member households in its first month. Noticeably absent from reporting is last year's awards darling Roma. * Usual reminder: A member account is considered to have "viewed" a title if a user watched at least 70 percent of one episode of a series or 70 percent of a film. Clock ticks on WarnerMedia's streamer. Two of 2019's big players (Apple, Disney) have already announced details to take on Netflix — now WarnerMedia is up and it has work to do in the Streaming Wars, Tim Goodman writes. [Column.]( Facebook Scrutiny Dark cloud in Menlo Park: Two separate reports released Tuesday detail rocky behavior at Facebook in the wake of its privacy scandals: + The crux of Nicholas Thompson and Fred Vogelstein's massive cover story: "Facebook’s powerful network effects have kept advertisers from fleeing, and overall user numbers remain healthy if you include people on Insta­gram, which Facebook owns. But the company’s original culture and mission kept creating a set of brutal debts that came due with regularity over the past 16 months." * Instagram conflict: In last July's earnings call, "[Mark] Zuckerberg and his closest lieutenants were debating via email whether to say, essentially, that Instagram owed its spectacular growth not primarily to its founders and vision but to its relationship with Facebook." The CEO did say as much, and later detailed to the photo-centric social media company all the ways he perceived how Facebook helped Instagram's growth, asserting that those supports would be removed. [[WIRED](] + User data duplicity: Olivia Solon and Cyrus Farivar report: "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg oversaw plans to consolidate the social network’s power and control competitors by treating its users’ data as a bargaining chip, while publicly proclaiming to be protecting that data, according to about 4,000 pages of leaked company documents largely spanning 2011 to 2015. … "In some cases, Facebook would reward favored companies by giving them access to the data of its users. In other cases, it would deny user-data access to rival companies or apps." [[NBC News](] Agents vs. writers update... ► WGA offers to pay manager & attorney fees. The impetus for the move comes from the fact that the TAA [prohibits]( anyone other than a licensed agent from procuring or negotiating employment for certain entertainment industry workers such as writers. The penalty can be forfeiture of fees otherwise earned. -> Column: Why writers should compromise with agencies to remake Hollywood. Former Metropolitan Talent Agency owner Christopher Barrett insists that the WGA should [return to the table](: "Because it's in their self-interest, the agencies would have likely offered a more meaningful portion of package fees and included guild members as equity owners on affiliated productions." ► Dramatists Guild lends support to writers in battle vs. agents. The playwrights’ organization says it hopes for a deal that "[begins to heal]( the rift that is not only ending professional relationships but is damaging personal relationships, as well." Elsewhere in TV... ► HBO inks Veep boss to new three-year overall deal. David Mandel's longtime WME agent, Richard Weitz, [brokered]( the deal — which had been in the works for weeks before the WGA-ATA talks broke down. Mandel is among the writers who have fired their agents amid the WGA's dispute with the ATA. ► ABC signs John Legend's Get Lifted to overall deal from Sony. The singer and actor's Get Lifted Film Co. [will develop]( scripted TV projects exclusively for the Disney-owned studio under the three-year pact. ► Oklahoma! series in the works with Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. Inspired by the Broadway musical, Skydance Television is [readying]( a present-day series to shop to cable and streaming platforms. ► Sony Pictures Television inks first-look deal with storytelling platform Wattpad. Sony earlier [nabbed]( the rights to the story series Death Is My BFF, which bowed on the Canadian online publishing platform led by CEO Allen Lau. ► Disney Channel renews Big Hero 6: The Series. The news [comes ahead]( of the season two premiere, which is set for May 6, with a slew of guest stars on board. ► Joke experts axed from Conan O'Brien trial. A California federal judge vetoed two experts proffered by the man suing O'Brien for joke theft and granted the late-night host's request [to close]( the court during testimony about confidential financial information. ► Biggest Loser contestant beats defamation suit from reality show's doctor. Joelle Gwynn told The New York Post she was given illicit pills to lose weight, likening her situation to "rape." A court [concludes]( Dr. Robert Huizenga can't demonstrate actual malice. ► Cosby slams insurer who settled with accuser. "Mr. Cosby has said through his spokesman that he plans to continue pursuing counterclaims against the women, in the [Chloe] Goins case and the others." [[The New York Times](] ^Banner year: Sera Gamble has two shows (Netflix's You and Syfy's The Magicians) on the air, two writing staffs at work and two bustling production offices on either side of L.A.'s famed Melrose Avenue, which should provide a snapshot of the successful 2019 she’s having, Emma Didbin profiles: + Breaking into the rooms: Gamble’s deep awareness of gender dynamics goes beyond her on-screen worlds; she is quick to note that even in an era where inequality and privilege in Hollywood are being openly addressed, women still represent “maybe 15 to 20 percent” of showrunners. “It’s not great. I frequently was the only woman in the writers room coming up, but I never had the particular expectation of fairness or parity, to be totally honest with you. I expected my career to be a fight.” [Full story.]( Casting call... ► Alden Ehrenreich to star in UCP's Brave New World. The Solo star will [headline]( the adaptation of Aldous Huxley's classic novel. ► John Cusack to star in Amazon's Gillian Flynn thriller. The actor [will make]( his series-regular debut in Utopia, a remake of a 2013 British show. Honorees... ► Television Academy honors to fete Pose, RBG, five other shows. This year's honorees address a "diverse spectrum of important issues challenging our world, including women’s rights, childhood cancer, mental health, alcoholism, sexual abuse, race relations, gender discrimination and LGBTQ+ issues." [Details.]( Speaker circuit... ► Mindy Kaling, Jeffrey Katzenberg set for Produced by Conference. Other announced participants include Danny DeVito, Michael B. Jordan and Alana Mayo. [Speaker details.]( ► Dear White People creator, Kristin Kreuk set for Banff master classes. Justin Simien and series star Logan Browning will [talk about]( bringing the 2014 feature to the small screen on Netflix. Over in Westeros... -> Listen: The mysteries of "Winterfell." In the week's second edition of Series Regular, the podcast stops down for a deeper dive into a few corners of the Game of Thrones season premiere left unexplored in Josh Wigler's conversation with THR TV critic Daniel Fienberg. [Listen]( | [Subscribe]( Talking points... ► Trump renews criticism of Fox News with Sanders' town hall retort. The president didn't approve of the network's decision to host a Monday night town hall with the Democratic presidential candidate. "So weird to watch Crazy Bernie on @FoxNews," Trump [tweeted](. "Not surprisingly, @BretBaier and the 'audience' was so smiley and nice." Coming attractions... ► Teaser: Russell Crowe goes to war as Roger Ailes in Showtime's Loudest Voice. The limited series about the Fox News founder, also starring Naomi Watts, will debut in June. [Watch.]( Jeff Franklin sues new Fuller House showrunner over firing. The Full House creator claims co-executive producer Bryan Behar [conspired]( to get him thrown off the Netflix spinoff so he could take his place, Ashley Cullins details. Enjoy reading this? Six days a week, look for Today in Entertainment in your inbox to stay up-to-date on the industry. Sign up for this newsletter (and others) at [THR.com/Newsletters](. Disney-Fox Begins at Box Office Holiday turnout: Breakthrough, a faith-based film from Fox 2000 that hopes to capitalize on the Easter corridor, marks the first time that Disney will be reporting numbers for a Fox title since closing its acquisition of a wide swath of 21st Century Fox last month, Pamela McClintock reports: + Meek Easter: The faith-based pic is tracking to post a five-day opening in the $13 million-$17 million range over Easter weekend. The holiday is notably devoid of a big event offering this year, with many saying it's because of Marvel and Disney's behemoth Avengers: Endgame, which debuts in a little over a week on April 26. + Other openings: Disney will be on double duty Wednesday, when it also opens nature doc Penguins. The Ed Helms-narrated film is tracking for a five-day launch of $5 million-$7 million as Disneynature continues its tradition of releasing films tied to the eco-friendly holiday. On Friday, New Line's The Curse of La Llorona — based on a Latin American ghost tale — enters the fray with a projected take-home of $15 million-$20 million. [Weekend box office.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Spyglass Media Group lands Warner Bros. as strategic investor. As AT&T's WarnerMedia gets [set to launch]( a streaming service, the Hollywood studio will have a first-look deal for content with Gary Barber's production firm. ► Michael Fassbender's DMC Film signs first-look deal with New Republic Pictures. Brian Oliver's NRP will [next release]( Elton John biopic Rocketman. ► Travis Knight to direct Mark Wahlberg in Six Billion Dollar Man. Wahlberg is set to star as Col. Steve Austin, a downed pilot who is saved by an operation that makes him part machine, in the long-awaited big-screen [adaptation]( of the classic 1970s sci-fi TV show. ► Fairytale thriller Gretel and Hansel sets 2020 release. The Brothers Grimm reimagining from Orion [will open]( Jan. 31, 2020. ► Minecraft lands new spring 2022 release. The Peter Sollett-directed film was originally [scheduled]( to be released on May 25 of this year. -> TIME 100 unveiled. Entertainers on this year's list include Dwayne Johnson, Hasan Minhaj, Regina King, Brie Larson, Ariana Grande and more. [[TIME](] Casting call... ► Jennifer Lawrence to star in untitled A24 drama. In-demand New York stage director Lila Neugebauer will make her [feature debut]( on the project from first-time screenwriter Elizabeth Sanders, produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush. ► Wesley Snipes to star in, ep heist thriller Payline. Snipes is [betting on]( green with the goal of making a 100 percent certified renewable energy film production. Richard Switzer and Jason Cherubini of Dawn’s Light are producing, along with Allan Ungar. ► Gillian Jacobs joins Fox's adaptation of R.L. Stine's Fear Street. Leigh Jeniak is directing the intended trilogy which is [shooting]( back-to-back in Georgia. ► In the Heights adds Daphne Rubin-Vega, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco. Warner Bros.' adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical is being [helmed by]( Jon M. Chu. And the winners are... ► Minding the Gap among Peabody doc winners. The board also named Kartemquin Films as the winner of an institutional award. [Who else won?]( ^Why Avengers: Endgame leak is causing fan panic: In the era of instant gratification, going to a theater unspoiled is one of the few ways to recapture the magic of the movies, Richard Newby writes: + Russo brothers plead case: After the leak, the Endgame directors penned a letter (as they did last year for Infinity War) asking fans not to spoil the movie. The letter did not address the leak but rather fans who will be seeing the film in theaters: "When you see Endgame in the coming weeks, please don't spoil it for others, the same way you wouldn't want it spoiled for you." [Full column.]( Admissions scandal fallout... ► Lori Loughlin, others prepare for aggressive defense. "Lawyers for the parents ... wrote to the court complaining that prosecutors had engaged in judge shopping and adding that their clients shouldn’t be tried together with others they’d never met. Ilene Jaroslaw, who once prosecuted federal crimes in New York, called the defense lawyers’ letter 'a declaration of war.'" [[Bloomberg](] On the festival circuit... ► Aaron Rodgers, Angela Bassett, Sheila Nevins among Tribeca jurors. Other stars who will select the winners in the film and immersive competition sections include Tig Notaro, Debra Messing, Maureen Dowd and Topher Grace. [Details.]( From the stage... ► Burn This, starring Adam Driver & Keri Russell, reviewed. Despite great performances, "in choosing to dial up the humor, [director Michael] Mayer has undercut the anguish that is the drama's foundation, exposing Burn This as just a circuitous journey to an inevitable romantic conclusion," David Rooney writes. [Full review.]( Book report... ► Dune getting new hardcover edition ahead of film. The reissue of the 1965 novel [features]( original art and will be available in October. Console wars... ► Former IGDA head joins Amazon Game Tech. Jen MacLean [will be]( the new head of worldwide business development for small and midsize developers at the tech company. ► Sony unveils details of "game changer" next-generation console. The video game company pulled back the curtain on its upcoming, long-rumored system. Lead system architect Mark Cerny says the new console "allows for [fundamental changes]( in what a game can be." In memoriam... ► RIP Morris I. Diamond. The music exec who promoted Michael Jackson concerts, ran a record label and served as a music supervisor on movies including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, died April 7 at 97. [Obit.]( Online gambling rights banner Skyrocket acquires Millennium film content. Titles including The Expendables and Rambo 4 will now be [transformed]( into content for the lucrative online gambling market. Netflix's 'Homecoming' Bow down: Beyoncé's collaborators at Netflix and her Parkwood Entertainment present the singer's Coachella concert film, Homecoming, for industry insiders and reveal, for the first time, her creative process in putting the project together, which should "destroy the notion that concert films are irrelevant," Chris Gardner reports: + Who was there: The streaming giant invited Hollywood press, influencers and a few of Beyoncé’s friends, including Lena Waithe, collaborators (her Parkwood Entertainment staffers) and dancers to be the first audience to experience the film. In the absence of Bey, introductions for the film were handled by star Netflix exec Lisa Nishimura and Parkwood COO Steve Pamon. * Long process: The team spent the entire year following the 2018 Coachella show putting the film together, Nishimura noted of a fact that was much more impressive considering that nobody even knew it was coming. [Inside the event]( | [Film review]( | [Surprise album]( What else we're reading... — "Sparkle, Once R. Kelly’s Protégée, May Testify Against Him. Again." Elizabeth A. Harris reports, detailing the singer battling a family rift: “I hope they don’t need me. But I have to. I have to see this thing through.” [[The New York Times](] — "Inside the Media's #MeToo Blacklist." Diana Falzone reports: "Multiple women, all of whom have settled high-profile lawsuits against serial sexual harassers, told me they struggled to continue their careers in media after defending themselves." [[Vanity Fair](] — "Why Disney+ Will Be Tough to Beat." David Sims writes: "It’s exactly why every major tech company has been pouring money into original television and film: to prepare for the approaching landscape of à la carte online viewing." [[The Atlantic](] — "When Genre Becomes a Prison." Craig Jenkins on the "Old Town Road" debate: "A measure of prudence and transparency could’ve cut into the accusations of racism that have been leveled at the stewards of the charts over the last three weeks, but a walk through the long history of soul and country artists trying out each other’s sounds tells a story no press release can fight." [[Vulture](] — "Are Loud Sopranos Shirts Better Left on Reruns?" Jacob Gallagher considers a resurgent trend: "Tony’s shirts evoke Picasso’s more hyperactive paintings, or the swirling carpets in Las Vegas casinos. They’re curiosities, and curiously, they’ve come back in style." [[The Wall Street Journal](] Last night, on late night... + "Mark Hamill does a perfect Harrison Ford impression." [[Late Night](] + "Laurie Metcalf on playing Hillary Clinton." [[Late Show](] + "Rob Lowe passed up a huge Grey's Anatomy check." [[Late Late Show](] + "Alex Rodriguez, J.Lo geeked out over a personal note from Obama." [[Tonight Show](] From the archives... + Today in 1987: 20th Century Fox unveiled the Matthew Broderick comedic, military action film Project X in theaters: "A combination of exposé on Air Force experiments with chimpanzees and cuddly pet story, [the film] should fly high as family entertainment." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Rooney Mara, 34, Luke Mitchell, 34, Jennifer Garner, 47, Adam McKay, 51, Henry Ian Cusick, 52, Sean Bean, 60, Nick Hornby, 62, David Bradley, 77. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( April 17, 2019