Easter Box Office Lull; Singleton Update; TV Upfronts Preview; 'Thrones' Recap

What's news: Ahead of Avengers: Endgame, a slowdown in film releases results in the lowest Easter box office take in 14 years. Plus: A preview of TV upfronts, inside Kanye West's Coachella Easter service and recapping last night's Game of Thrones episode. — Will Robinson April 22, 2019 What's news: Ahead of Avengers: Endgame, a slowdown in film releases results in the lowest Easter box office take in 14 years. Plus: A preview of TV upfronts, inside Kanye West's Coachella Easter service and recapping last night's Game of Thrones episode. — Will Robinson Easter Lull Slow holiday: Revenue for the holiday weekend hit its lowest level in 14 years, as La Llorna paced the frame with $26.5 million, Pamela McClintock reports: + Watching Marvel: The R-rated pic couldn't rescue the domestic box office from a poor Easter showing as Hollywood studios held back releasing their bigger event pics because of Disney and Marvel's Avengers: Endgame, which is set to hit theaters Friday. Revenue came in at an estimated $110 million to $112 million, the lowest since 2005 ($99 million). * La Llorona also topped a slow weekend overseas, taking in $30 million from 71 markets for a global bow of $56.4 million. + Another landmark: Disney and Marvel's first female-led superhero pic Captain Marvel made news in its seventh frame as it became the 11th comic book adaptation to clear the $400 million mark domestically (seven are MCU titles). [Weekend box office.]( Elsewhere in film... ► John Singleton "under great medical care" after stroke. The Boyz n the Hood helmer is currently in the ICU after [suffering]( a stroke Wednesday, according to his family. * Director deluged by well-wishers. Billions, Pose and Chicago Fire showrunners; filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and William Friedkin; and Snoop Dogg were among those [seeking]( a speedy recovery for Singleton. On the festival circuit... ► Cannes unveils Critics' Week sidebar. The sidebar will open with Franco Lolli's Litigante with Hlyunur Palmason's A White, White Day among the titles. [Details.]( [Quoted:]( "Let me [be] very clear. I like Bob Iger. I do NOT speak for my family but only for myself. Other than owning shares (not that many) I have no more say in what happens there than anyone else. But by any objective measure a pay ratio over a thousand is insane." — Abigail Disney, on the Disney CEO & chairman's $65.6 million pay in 2018. ^Inside Kanye West's Coachella Easter service: Guests raced to buy $225 sweatshirts (a.k.a. "Church Clothes") and noshed on breakfast tacos for Sunday brunch ahead of the rapper's two-hour [church service]( on Easter, Lindsay Weinberg details. * West debuts new song: The new number, focused on themes of purity and rebirth, featured lyrics such as "We are water/ Clean us like the rain in spring/ Take the chlorine, not our conversation/ Let your light reflect on me." [Listen.]( Goodbye to Indio... ► Will Smith appears on stage during son Jaden's set. In a moment caught on camera, Smith took to the stage in a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words, Eyrs is Coming, the title of Jaden's new album, and began rapping for the hyped-up crowd. [Watch.]( Musical notes... ► Woodstock 50 cancellation fears loom after ticket sales postponed. Tickets for the three-day event with headliners The Killers, Dead & Company, Imagine Dragons and Jay-Z were supposed [to go on sale]( today, in honor of Earth Day. In memoriam... ► RIP David Picker. The exec — who served as the head of United Artists, Paramount and Columbia over more than a half-century in the film business and brought James Bond and The Beatles to U.S. screens — died Saturday night after succumbing to colon cancer at 87. [Obit.]( ► RIP Harvey Sabinson. The veteran Broadway press agent who worked with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Neil Simon and David Merrick and served for 13 years as executive director of The Broadway League died Thursday at 94. [Obit.]( What if no one dies in Avengers: Endgame? Fans are expecting Captain America or Iron Man to make the ultimate sacrifice, but perhaps that's the [wrong way]( of looking at things, Richard Newby writes. 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](. Writers at Risk WGA termination notice: Halo showrunner Kyle Killen shared the letter he penned and sent to WME on Saturday to terminate their working relationship amid the writers' fight with talent agencies: + Most at risk: "I’m worried that the executive story editor who just tweeted his or her firing letter and is now seeking their next gig at a mixer or on a job board might be the one taking the real risk," Killen writes. "Having staffed five writers' rooms, I have to say, they might not think they rely on their agent, but I’m relying on their agent." + "[Y]ou’re all fired because packaging. And before you say it, no, it’s not good enough to have you abide by the court decision while making it explicit that I have the ability to opt out of packaging all together without further harm to anyone’s career or finances. "You can take that shit back to your Capo or whatever and tell them no dice. Until someone sends me a picture of $10,000 suits, yachts and most of Wilshire in flames this will not end." [Full letter.]( -> The last packaging fight: Todd S. Purdum details the 1962 case when the DOJ stepped in against Lew Wasserman: "[P]owerful uber-agents ... have realized what the legendary MCA boss himself understood so well when he agreed to get out of the agency business: Producing and owning entertainment is ultimately more lucrative than simply taking up to a 10 percent commission on its creation." [[The Atlantic](] Elsewhere in TV... ► James Murdoch has no plans to invest in news outlets. While Murdoch has already set up an investment arm called Lupa Systems, he won't be [plowing]( any money into a news outlet of any political bent, Paul Bond reports. ► Jussie Smollett's brother pens op-ed: "What if Jussie is telling the truth?" In the op-ed, Jojo Smollett argues that the actor was "convicted in the court of public opinion" before the case reached the courtroom: "To define this experience as [unjust]( would be an understatement." ^Upfronts are coming: New York will play host to dozens of parties and presentations from May 13-16 as broadcast networks look to impress ad buyers with glitzy presentations and parties. But this year, talent agencies have either cut back or are taking a wait and see approach amid their ongoing battle with the WGA over packaging fees, Lesley Goldberg details. [Guide + Parties]( Book report... ► The Mueller report is a best seller. "Skyhorse's version ... has consistently led the sales pack. On Thursday night it was No. 3 on Amazon's constantly-updated chart; on Friday morning it hit No. 1. The Washington Post's version of the report, which is being published by Scribner, is close behind at No. 2 on Amazon." [[CNN Business](] Talking points... ► Ukraine elects local TV comic president. Volodomyr Zelenskiy — who plays a school teacher who gets [elected]( president after an online rant on the popular drama series Servant of the People — beat incumbent Petro Poroshenko in Sunday's runoff poll. From the Live Feed... ► Veep boss talks "amazing timing" of plot move and Mueller report. Showrunner David Mandel speaks to Jackie Strause about Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and foreign interference in the HBO comedy's presidential race: ["It doesn’t come without a leash."]( ► Unraveling the secret code behind Gentleman Jack. How the passion project of Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright — starring Suranne Jones in the lead — [lay hidden]( behind the walls of a British country hall for more than 100 years, Alex Ritman details. Barry's jaw-dropping mix of darkness and hilarity. The show's second season is less a shift than an evolution, but its blending of humor and pitch-blackness is as wildly ambitious as ever, Tim Goodman writes. [Critic's notebook.]( 'Thrones' Readies for War Calm before the storm: Season eight's second episode of Game of Thrones paves the way for a huge battle at Winterfell in an emotional installment of the HBO blockbuster. Warning: Spoilers follow. Josh Wigler notes: For the second act of its six-part final season, Game of Thrones delivered a relatively bloodless affair, without a single death on the menu. A sad lack of lopped heads aside, the HBO drama instead offered up an hour filled with drunken laughter (Luke Skywalker has nothing on Tormund Giantsbane's milk-chugging skills), surprising sex scenes (who had Arya Stark sleeping with longtime crush Gendry on their final season bingo cards?) and even a song aimed squarely at fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which Thrones is based. In some ways, it was the happiest episode of the series; at the least, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) knighting Ser Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) instantly goes down as one of the most heartwarming moments in Thrones history. Enjoy the warm-fuzzies while you can; the episode ends at the edge of Armageddon, clearing the decks for next week's staggering 82-minute war epic directed by "Battle of the Bastards" veteran Miguel Sapochnik. Forget winter: The Night King is coming. End of spoilers. -> What to read: Wigler's [recap](... Creators [break down]( surprising sex scene... Fraught episode three [trailer](... Battle of Winterfell [preview](. What else we're reading... — "The World Needs Fewer Cersei Lannisters." Sen. Elizabeth Warren writes: "A queen who declares that she doesn’t serve the interests of the rich and powerful? A ruler who doesn’t want to control the political system but to break the system as it is known? It’s no wonder that the people [Dany] meets in Westeros are skeptical." [[The Cut](] — "With a New Owner, Can The National Enquirer Leave Trump & Bezos Behind?" Joe Pompeo investigates: "If you’re the Enquirer, I just don’t know how you compete.” [[Vanity Fair](] — "Michael Jackson Biographers Face History, and the Mirror." Reggie Ugwu reports: "For some veterans of the Jackson beat, the more fruitful question isn’t whether the artist was a victim or a predator, but why it’s been so hard for some to accept the possibility that he was both." [[The New York Times](] — "Look What the Streaming TV Revolution Did to Your Cable Box." David Pierce considers: "Cable companies do still have one ace up their sleeve: They’re still the most popular, and often most affordable, way to get fast internet, something all those streaming services require." [[The Wall Street Journal](] — "Jeopardy Wasn’t Designed for a Contestant Like James Holzhauer." Joe Pinsker details: “Typically, for a long-running show the prize budget is determined by way of averages of what has been won in the past. ... James’s performance, I’m sure, is causing grief for an accountant somewhere.” [[The Atlantic](] Last night, on late night... + "John Oliver digs into the Mueller report." [[Last Week Tonight](] + "Conan learns how to survive in Australian bush." [[Conan](] What's ahead this week... Monday: Avengers: Endgame premieres at the L.A. Convention Center... HBO premieres Gentleman Jack. Tuesday: Verizon, Snap and Twitter report earnings... TIME 100 gala... ABC News debuts 1969 docuseries. Wednesday: AT&T, Facebook and SiriusXM report earnings... Tribeca Film Festival begins... Cobra Kai season two streams on YouTube. Thursday: Amazon earnings... ABC (and others) air the NFL Draft... Supernatural closes its season on The CW. Friday: Imax earnings... Endgame goes wide... Samantha Bee hosts Not the White House Correspondents Dinner in D.C.... Netflix debuts new series Chambers, with Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn. Saturday: The real White House Correspondents Dinner, with featured speaker, author Ron Chernow. Sunday: CBS premieres Red Line, Noah Wyle's first broadcast series since ER. [-> This week in TV.]( Today's birthdays: Amber Heard, 33, Cassidy Freeman, 37, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, 53, Robert Elswit, 69, John Waters, 73, Jack Nicholson, 82. 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 22, 2019