'Midway' Upsets 'Doctor Sleep'; Feige Breaks Silence; Another Oscars DQ; ViacomCBS Shakeup; People's Choice Awards

What's news: Midway leads the box office leaving Doctor Sleep comatose, Kevin Feige defends Marvel Films from Martin Scorsese criticism, ViacomCBS shakes up creative and digital leadership ahead of merger, Honey Boy has strong indie debut. Plus: What you missed at the People's Choice Awards, and the latest from AFM. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment NOVEMBER 11, 2019 What's news: Midway leads the box office leaving Doctor Sleep comatose, Kevin Feige defends Marvel Films from Martin Scorsese criticism, ViacomCBS shakes up creative and digital leadership ahead of merger, Honey Boy has strong indie debut. Plus: What you missed at the People's Choice Awards, and the latest from AFM. --Alex Weprin What's news: Midway leads the box office leaving Doctor Sleep comatose, Kevin Feige defends Marvel Films from Martin Scorsese criticism, ViacomCBS shakes up creative and digital leadership ahead of merger, Honey Boy has strong indie debut. Plus: What you missed at the People's Choice Awards, and the latest from AFM. --Alex Weprin ['Midway' Box Office Surprise] 'Midway' Box Office Surprise ►Box office: Doctor Sleep comatose as Midway storms to victory. Roland Emmerich’s pricey World War II epic Midway may have topped the chart with a better-than-expected $17.5 million from 4,086 theaters in a surprise upset over the horror-thriller Doctor Sleep, but it was somewhat of a hollow victory considering Midway's $100 million budget (luckily, U.S. and U.K. distributor Lionsgate carved out a deal that will leave the studio in the black). --As for Doctor Sleep: The Warner Bros.' film — a sequel to The Shining — had been expected to easily win the weekend with $25 million or more. Instead, the Stephen King adaptation debuted to a drowsy $14.1 million domestically from 3,855 locations. It is also faring poorly overseas, where it earned $13.1 million from 68 markets for a foreign tally of $20 million and a global cume of $34.1 million. [The numbers](. +Analysis: Doctor Sleep's dismal $14 million debut terrifies Hollywood. As Pamela McClintock reports, the R-rated horror thriller boasted all the right credentials — good reviews, the Stephen King brand and backing from Warner Bros., home of horror label New Line. "Executives at Warner Bros. didn't do their usual round of Sunday morning box office calls and, behind the scenes, scrambled to understand what went so wrong," she writes. [The story](. +Awards box office: Honey Boy opens to strong numbers in N.Y. and L.A. The film, a coming-of-age drama that Shia LaBeouf wrote, based on his own childhood — posted one of the five best opening location averages ($72,206) at the 2019 specialty box office so far upon launching in four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles over the weekend. The film debuts in the wake of LaBeouf's The Peanut Butter Falcon, which has earned $21 million to become the No. 2 platform release of the year behind Judy ($23.3 million). Both titles are from Roadside Attractions. [The story](. ►Austrian Oscars entry Joy disqualified from international feature competition. Hot on the heels of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' hotly-debated disqualification of Lionheart, Nigeria's entry for best international feature Oscar consideration, because its dialogue is predominantly in English, Austria's entry, Joy, has been disqualified for the same reason, THR's Scott Feinberg reports. Entries must feature "a predominantly non-English dialogue track," per Academy rules, but a review found that two-thirds of Austria's entry is in English. [The story](. ^Marvel's Kevin Feige breaks silence on Martin Scorsese criticism. Feige, Marvel chief creative officer and the architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is sharing his [first public comments](about the Scorsese debate in a wide-ranging conversation with THR awards columnist Scott Feinberg on the latest episode of the Awards Chatter podcast. Quote: "I think that's not true. I think it's unfortunate," Feige says when asked about the notion that superhero movies are a negative for cinema. "I think myself and everyone who works on these movies loves cinema, loves movies, loves going to the movies, loves to watch a communal experience in a movie theater full of people." [Listen to the full episode here](. ►ViacomCBS shakeup: Chris McCarthy, David Nevins, Brian Robbins and Marc DeBevoise will add new responsibilities when the companies merge, while Kent Alterman and Sarah Levy prepare to depart after the merger is complete. McCarthy will add oversight of Comedy Central, Nevins will add BET to his portfolio, Robbins will add AwesomenessTV, and DeBevoise will oversee digital for the combined company. [The details](. +The company also confirmed this morning that Jim Gianopulos will oversee filmed entertainment operations, continuing as chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, a role that includes oversight of Paramount Animation, Paramount Features, Paramount Players and Paramount TV. [More](. Elsewhere in film... --Netflix film chief Scott Stuber [on talent deals](: "We pay in success." --The Dark Waters and Harriet teams [talk telling stories]( of real-life heroes. --A brush fire covering 34 acres [broke out](Saturday afternoon above the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. The lot is expected to reopen today. Related: Instagram [post of the day](. Scott Eastwood posted video of the hills burning above the Warner Bros. lot, writing "This is from a couple hours ago. Security told us to evacuate the studio. But my 89 year old father said. “No were good, There’s work to be done. “ then we went into the mixing stage and all watched his new movie @richardjewellfilm As he would say, get back to work and shut up. *True story*. By the way it was a Saturday" 'Midway' Box Office Surprise ►Box office: Doctor Sleep comatose as Midway storms to victory. Roland Emmerich’s pricey World War II epic Midway may have topped the chart with a better-than-expected $17.5 million from 4,086 theaters in a surprise upset over the horror-thriller Doctor Sleep, but it was somewhat of a hollow victory considering Midway's $100 million budget (luckily, U.S. and U.K. distributor Lionsgate carved out a deal that will leave the studio in the black). --As for Doctor Sleep: The Warner Bros.' film — a sequel to The Shining — had been expected to easily win the weekend with $25 million or more. Instead, the Stephen King adaptation debuted to a drowsy $14.1 million domestically from 3,855 locations. It is also faring poorly overseas, where it earned $13.1 million from 68 markets for a foreign tally of $20 million and a global cume of $34.1 million. [The numbers](. +Analysis: Doctor Sleep's dismal $14 million debut terrifies Hollywood. As Pamela McClintock reports, the R-rated horror thriller boasted all the right credentials — good reviews, the Stephen King brand and backing from Warner Bros., home of horror label New Line. "Executives at Warner Bros. didn't do their usual round of Sunday morning box office calls and, behind the scenes, scrambled to understand what went so wrong," she writes. [The story](. +Awards box office: Honey Boy opens to strong numbers in N.Y. and L.A. The film, a coming-of-age drama that Shia LaBeouf wrote, based on his own childhood — posted one of the five best opening location averages ($72,206) at the 2019 specialty box office so far upon launching in four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles over the weekend. The film debuts in the wake of LaBeouf's The Peanut Butter Falcon, which has earned $21 million to become the No. 2 platform release of the year behind Judy ($23.3 million). Both titles are from Roadside Attractions. [The story](. ►Austrian Oscars entry Joy disqualified from international feature competition. Hot on the heels of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' hotly-debated disqualification of Lionheart, Nigeria's entry for best international feature Oscar consideration, because its dialogue is predominantly in English, Austria's entry, Joy, has been disqualified for the same reason, THR's Scott Feinberg reports. Entries must feature "a predominantly non-English dialogue track," per Academy rules, but a review found that two-thirds of Austria's entry is in English. [The story](. ^Marvel's Kevin Feige breaks silence on Martin Scorsese criticism. Feige, Marvel chief creative officer and the architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is sharing his [first public comments](about the Scorsese debate in a wide-ranging conversation with THR awards columnist Scott Feinberg on the latest episode of the Awards Chatter podcast. Quote: "I think that's not true. I think it's unfortunate," Feige says when asked about the notion that superhero movies are a negative for cinema. "I think myself and everyone who works on these movies loves cinema, loves movies, loves going to the movies, loves to watch a communal experience in a movie theater full of people." [Listen to the full episode here](. ►ViacomCBS shakeup: Chris McCarthy, David Nevins, Brian Robbins and Marc DeBevoise will add new responsibilities when the companies merge, while Kent Alterman and Sarah Levy prepare to depart after the merger is complete. McCarthy will add oversight of Comedy Central, Nevins will add BET to his portfolio, Robbins will add AwesomenessTV, and DeBevoise will oversee digital for the combined company. [The details](. +The company also confirmed this morning that Jim Gianopulos will oversee filmed entertainment operations, continuing as chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, a role that includes oversight of Paramount Animation, Paramount Features, Paramount Players and Paramount TV. [More](. Elsewhere in film... --Netflix film chief Scott Stuber [on talent deals](: "We pay in success." --The Dark Waters and Harriet teams [talk telling stories]( of real-life heroes. --A brush fire covering 34 acres [broke out](Saturday afternoon above the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. The lot is expected to reopen today. Related: Instagram [post of the day](. Scott Eastwood posted video of the hills burning above the Warner Bros. lot, writing "This is from a couple hours ago. Security told us to evacuate the studio. But my 89 year old father said. “No were good, There’s work to be done. “ then we went into the mixing stage and all watched his new movie @richardjewellfilm As he would say, get back to work and shut up. *True story*. By the way it was a Saturday" [People's Choice Awards] People's Choice Awards Here's what you may have missed from the People's Choice Awards... +The highlights: People's Choice Awards honoree Pink [urges viewers]( to "change the f***ing world"... Jennifer Aniston received the People's Icon Award. In her speech, [she explained]( she couldn't have earned the title without her fans and the long-running sitcom Friends... For the second year in a row, Kevin Hart won the award for comedy act at the E! People's Choice Awards — and [received a standing ovation]( while taking the stage in his first public appearance since his car crash... Gwen Stefani[talked about]( her mom's and grandmother's influence on her and how they inspired her love of fashion when she accepted the Fashion Icon Award... +What you didn't see: Here are 10 moments the cameras missed, including security removing an audience member that twerked during a segment. [The list](. +The winners: [The full list of winners](... In other awards news... +Critics' Choice Documentary Awards: Apollo 11 won five awards at Sunday night's ceremony, including the top prize, as Frederick Wiseman and Michael Apted were presented with special honors during the night. [The winners](. +Bombshell star Charlize Theron was roasted and toasted at the American Cinematheque Awards. The 44-year-old actress became the 33rd recipient of a tribute from the non-profit behind Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre and Santa Monica's Aero Theatre. [The report](. +Also: Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodovar and Marco Bellocchio lead the [European Film Award Nominations](... Marco Bellocchio’s latest film The Traitor is [set to receive]( the first major prize at the 2019 Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival... What you missed over the weekend from AFM... ^AFM indie director roundtable. Bart Freundlich, Marjane Satrapi, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Julie Delpy, Roland Emmerich and Ladj Ly discuss artist integrity, financial challenges and the complicated politics of moviemaking in 2019. [The roundtable](. ►Why the rich get richer as AFM hits schlock bottom. Big-budget, star-studded titles see brisk business, but insiders say the Santa Monica event is steadily becoming less viable for the purveyors of the B, C (and Z)-level fare, Scott Roxborough reports: "There is a bifurcation of the market." [More](. +AFM roundup: The Ice Road, an upcoming thriller starring AFM regular Liam Neeson, [has landed]( a number of deals for The Solution Entertainment Group... From Sony to Endeavor, film execs [annually gather](for a game of soccer... British film duo Bert & Bertie [o]([n capturing]( the zeitgeist with a Elizabeth Taylor biopic... An AFM hidden gem: Art of the Dead [depicts](supernatural tale about 7 deadly sins... How Germany [quietly became]( an animation powerhouse... Participant [has inked]( a multiyear output deal with Japanese distribution giant Gaga Corporation... +Also: An AFM hidden gem: Pagan War [summons Krampus](for festive viking horror... Wood Entertainment [has racked up]( multiple territory sales at AFM for her documentary QT8: The First Eight, which chronicles the making of Quentin Tarantino's first eight films... Saban Films [has landed](North American rights to Guns Akimbo, the Daniel Radcliffe-starring darkly comic sci-fi action-thriller... IFC Films has [picked up North American rights]( to How to Build a Girl, a new comedy featuring Booksmart star Beanie Feldstein... ►Liberty Media earnings: The company controlled by billionaire mogul John Malone that houses such assets as satellite radio company SiriusXM Radio, the Atlanta Braves baseball club and the Formula One racing circuit, on Monday reported lower third-quarter earnings as higher costs and expenses outweighed increased revenue. [More](. [Exclusive](: Wesley Snipes signs with CAA, moving from APA. Meanwhile, Swiss Beatz signs with UTA ... WME and IMG Models sign boxer Ricky Garcia ... Paradigm promotes attorney April Perroni to senior vp of business affairs ... Chris Lowell leaves WME for ICM Partners .... UTA promotes nine to agent. [Rep Sheet Roundup](. ►E! reviving The Soup. The NBCUniversal-owned cable network on Sunday announced that it is reviving the pop culture talk show a mere three years after the Joel McHale-hosted series signed off. Comedian and actress Jade Catta-Preta will host the newly revived show when it returns on E! in early 2020. [More](. Elsewhere in TV... --Comcast-owned Sky and U.K. public broadcaster BBC on Monday unveiled a [content and technology partnership](. --The Hill launched a [new editorial channel]( Changing America. --Five television shows [are being celebrated]( by the Ruderman Family Foundation for their accurate depictions of people with disabilities. --The NHL and TV sports channel Sportsnet [have condemned]( as "offensive" comments from bombastic Hockey Night in Canada co-host Don Cherry accusing new Canadian immigrants of not wearing poppies to honor war veterans and dead soldiers. People's Choice Awards Here's what you may have missed from the People's Choice Awards... +The highlights: People's Choice Awards honoree Pink [urges viewers]( to "change the f***ing world"... Jennifer Aniston received the People's Icon Award. In her speech, [she explained]( she couldn't have earned the title without her fans and the long-running sitcom Friends... For the second year in a row, Kevin Hart won the award for comedy act at the E! People's Choice Awards — and [received a standing ovation]( while taking the stage in his first public appearance since his car crash... Gwen Stefani[talked about]( her mom's and grandmother's influence on her and how they inspired her love of fashion when she accepted the Fashion Icon Award... +What you didn't see: Here are 10 moments the cameras missed, including security removing an audience member that twerked during a segment. [The list](. +The winners: [The full list of winners](... In other awards news... +Critics' Choice Documentary Awards: Apollo 11 won five awards at Sunday night's ceremony, including the top prize, as Frederick Wiseman and Michael Apted were presented with special honors during the night. [The winners](. +Bombshell star Charlize Theron was roasted and toasted at the American Cinematheque Awards. The 44-year-old actress became the 33rd recipient of a tribute from the non-profit behind Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre and Santa Monica's Aero Theatre. [The report](. +Also: Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodovar and Marco Bellocchio lead the [European Film Award Nominations](... Marco Bellocchio’s latest film The Traitor is [set to receive]( the first major prize at the 2019 Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival... What you missed over the weekend from AFM... ^AFM indie director roundtable. Bart Freundlich, Marjane Satrapi, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Julie Delpy, Roland Emmerich and Ladj Ly discuss artist integrity, financial challenges and the complicated politics of moviemaking in 2019. [The roundtable](. ►Why the rich get richer as AFM hits schlock bottom. Big-budget, star-studded titles see brisk business, but insiders say the Santa Monica event is steadily becoming less viable for the purveyors of the B, C (and Z)-level fare, Scott Roxborough reports: "There is a bifurcation of the market." [More](. +AFM roundup: The Ice Road, an upcoming thriller starring AFM regular Liam Neeson, [has landed]( a number of deals for The Solution Entertainment Group... From Sony to Endeavor, film execs [annually gather](for a game of soccer... British film duo Bert & Bertie [o]([n capturing]( the zeitgeist with a Elizabeth Taylor biopic... An AFM hidden gem: Art of the Dead [depicts](supernatural tale about 7 deadly sins... How Germany [quietly became]( an animation powerhouse... Participant [has inked]( a multiyear output deal with Japanese distribution giant Gaga Corporation... +Also: An AFM hidden gem: Pagan War [summons Krampus](for festive viking horror... Wood Entertainment [has racked up]( multiple territory sales at AFM for her documentary QT8: The First Eight, which chronicles the making of Quentin Tarantino's first eight films... Saban Films [has landed](North American rights to Guns Akimbo, the Daniel Radcliffe-starring darkly comic sci-fi action-thriller... IFC Films has [picked up North American rights]( to How to Build a Girl, a new comedy featuring Booksmart star Beanie Feldstein... ►Liberty Media earnings: The company controlled by billionaire mogul John Malone that houses such assets as satellite radio company SiriusXM Radio, the Atlanta Braves baseball club and the Formula One racing circuit, on Monday reported lower third-quarter earnings as higher costs and expenses outweighed increased revenue. [More](. [Exclusive](: Wesley Snipes signs with CAA, moving from APA. Meanwhile, Swiss Beatz signs with UTA ... WME and IMG Models sign boxer Ricky Garcia ... Paradigm promotes attorney April Perroni to senior vp of business affairs ... Chris Lowell leaves WME for ICM Partners .... UTA promotes nine to agent. [Rep Sheet Roundup](. ►E! reviving The Soup. The NBCUniversal-owned cable network on Sunday announced that it is reviving the pop culture talk show a mere three years after the Joel McHale-hosted series signed off. Comedian and actress Jade Catta-Preta will host the newly revived show when it returns on E! in early 2020. [More](. Elsewhere in TV... --Comcast-owned Sky and U.K. public broadcaster BBC on Monday unveiled a [content and technology partnership](. --The Hill launched a [new editorial channel]( Changing America. --Five television shows [are being celebrated]( by the Ruderman Family Foundation for their accurate depictions of people with disabilities. --The NHL and TV sports channel Sportsnet [have condemned]( as "offensive" comments from bombastic Hockey Night in Canada co-host Don Cherry accusing new Canadian immigrants of not wearing poppies to honor war veterans and dead soldiers. [Woody Allen And Amazon Settle] Woody Allen And Amazon Settle Woody Allen and Amazon have come to an agreement to finish a lawsuit that challenged the digital giant's early termination of the filmmaker's lucrative movie deal. On Friday night, the two sides filed paperwork with a New York federal court that stipulated to dismissal of the case with prejudice. Terms of the settlement weren't revealed. [The story](. ►Michael Crichton's widow on Andromeda Strain sequel: "I can't say it was ever a slam-dunk." Sherri Crichton talks to THR's Chris Gardner about the new book, The Andromeda Evolution, how she's keeping her late husband's archive alive and what's next for his estate. Quote: “It was not an easy decision to touch one of Michael’s most iconic pieces of work,” she says. “I was able to look past the potential criticism from naysayers and look at the bigger picture, which is that I don’t want Michael’s classic body of work to be forgotten.” [The story](. ►Bullish streaming numbers: Five global subscription VOD platforms will have 529 million subscribers by 2025, led by Netflix, Amazon and Disney+, which launches Tuesday, according to new projections from Digital TV Research. They will add 257 million subscribers between 2019 and 2025, "doubling their total," the research firm forecast. [The story](. The week ahead... --TV: Let's get real for a second, the big TV news this week is the launch of Disney+ on Tuesday. The marquee launch show is The Mandalorian, but there will be plenty of other content at launch too. Elsewhere: Netflix's The Crown returns Sunday, the CMA Awards are on ABC Wednesday. [More](. --Film: Charlie's Angels, Ford v Ferrari and The Good Liar all open on Friday... --Impeachment hearings: Until now all hearings have been held behind closed doors. On Wednesday, that will change as televised proceedings begin. Look for live coverage on cable news and for local broadcast TV stations to break into daytime programming. Of course it will all be readily streamable online too. Awards Chatter podcast: In this episode Scott Feinberg chats with actress-singer Awkwafina. [Listen](. What else we're reading... --"The great streaming battle is here. No one is safe." [[WSJ](] --"Netflix was only the start. Disney streaming service shakes an industry" [[NY Times](] --"Rick and Morty creators on the rise of Pickle Rick and being ‘your own worst enemy’" [[LA Times](] --"The restrained genius of a Joe Pesci performance" [[NY Times](] Today's birthdays: Adam Rippon, 30, Calista Flockhart, 55, Carson Kressley, 50, Demi Moore, 57, Leonardo DiCaprio, 45, Marc Summers, 68, Stanley Tucci, 59. Woody Allen And Amazon Settle Woody Allen and Amazon have come to an agreement to finish a lawsuit that challenged the digital giant's early termination of the filmmaker's lucrative movie deal. On Friday night, the two sides filed paperwork with a New York federal court that stipulated to dismissal of the case with prejudice. Terms of the settlement weren't revealed. [The story](. ►Michael Crichton's widow on Andromeda Strain sequel: "I can't say it was ever a slam-dunk." Sherri Crichton talks to THR's Chris Gardner about the new book, The Andromeda Evolution, how she's keeping her late husband's archive alive and what's next for his estate. Quote: “It was not an easy decision to touch one of Michael’s most iconic pieces of work,” she says. “I was able to look past the potential criticism from naysayers and look at the bigger picture, which is that I don’t want Michael’s classic body of work to be forgotten.” [The story](. ►Bullish streaming numbers: Five global subscription VOD platforms will have 529 million subscribers by 2025, led by Netflix, Amazon and Disney+, which launches Tuesday, according to new projections from Digital TV Research. They will add 257 million subscribers between 2019 and 2025, "doubling their total," the research firm forecast. [The story](. The week ahead... --TV: Let's get real for a second, the big TV news this week is the launch of Disney+ on Tuesday. The marquee launch show is The Mandalorian, but there will be plenty of other content at launch too. Elsewhere: Netflix's The Crown returns Sunday, the CMA Awards are on ABC Wednesday. [More](. --Film: Charlie's Angels, Ford v Ferrari and The Good Liar all open on Friday... --Impeachment hearings: Until now all hearings have been held behind closed doors. On Wednesday, that will change as televised proceedings begin. Look for live coverage on cable news and for local broadcast TV stations to break into daytime programming. Of course it will all be readily streamable online too. Awards Chatter podcast: In this episode Scott Feinberg chats with actress-singer Awkwafina. [Listen](. What else we're reading... --"The great streaming battle is here. No one is safe." [[WSJ](] --"Netflix was only the start. Disney streaming service shakes an industry" [[NY Times](] --"Rick and Morty creators on the rise of Pickle Rick and being ‘your own worst enemy’" [[LA Times](] --"The restrained genius of a Joe Pesci performance" [[NY Times](] Today's birthdays: Adam Rippon, 30, Calista Flockhart, 55, Carson Kressley, 50, Demi Moore, 57, Leonardo DiCaprio, 45, Marc Summers, 68, Stanley Tucci, 59. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. NOVEMBER 11, 2019 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](