China Protests Spread Like Wildfire; 'Strange World' Flops With $18.6M; Will Streamers Whiff at the Oscars?; THR's Entrepreneurs Survey; 'Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( November 28, 2022 What's news: China's state censor is blurring out images of maskless fans at the World Cup. Disney's Strange World will likely lose $100m. Helena Bonham Carter has defended Johnny Depp and J.K. Rowling. Squid Game star Oh Yeong-su has been charged with sexual misconduct. — [Abid Rahman]( China COVID Lockdown Protests Spread Like Wildfire ►The cost of staff cuts. As protests against COVID restrictions and lockdowns spread across China on the weekend, Twitter users reported finding it difficult to search for information on the demonstrations due to an explosion in pornographic spam on the social media platform. While protestors were taking to the streets in Beijing and Shanghai, a digital bot army roared into gear on Twitter, with a phalanx of long-dormant Chinese language accounts suddenly tweeting links to escort services and other adult content and dominating related hashtags and key word searches. [The story.]( —"I wanna see a movie!" Various chants, slogans and euphemisms have enjoyed brief viral moments in China in recent days, as grassroots protests spread to cities around the country. But one slogan, in particular, seems to have caught the attention of China’s beleaguered movie industry. A video showing protestors in Shanghai chanting, “I wanna see a movie!” was widely shared on WeChat among Chinese film fans and industry professionals over the weekend. [The story.]( —Censors working overtime. Amid lockdown protests, China's state broadcaster began censoring images of maskless crowds at the 2022 World Cup. During Sunday’s group game between Japan and Costa Rica, CCTV Sports replaced shots of maskless fans in the stadium in favor of images of players and officials. CCTV Sports also cut crowd scenes from coverage of the Australia vs. Tunisia game. [The story.]( Disney's 'Strange World' Flops With $18.6M Opening ►Yikes. In news that may take the shine off Bob Iger's return to Disney, animated film Strange World bombed at the box office with a five-day opening of $18.6m after receiving a mediocre B CinemaScore. That’s the worst opening for a Disney Animation Thanksgiving title in modern times after getting pummeled by poor word-of-mouth, and the first of the unit's films to earn anything less than an A- grade from CinemaScore. Overseas, Strange World debuted to $9m from 43 material markets for a global bow of just $28m. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that Strange World, with a production budget of $180m before marketing, is likely to lose more than $100m for Disney. Disney did have something to cheer about over the holiday weekend with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever staying atop the five-day box office chart — Wednesday to Sunday — with a hearty domestic gross of $64m from 4,258 theaters for a domestic total of $367.7m through Sunday. Overseas, it grossed another $32.1m over the weekend proper to clear the $300m mark internationally and finish Sunday with a global total of $675.6m. [The box office report.]( —Leaving millions on the table. Rian Johnson’s sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was the most popular new film opening at the otherwise troubled Thanksgiving box office — at least for adults — earning between $12.7m and $13m domestically over the five-day holiday in fewer than 700 North American theaters. Box office analysts believe Johnson’s movie could have opened to $40m to $50m over Thanksgiving had it been given a more traditional theatrical release by Netflix. [The box office analysis.]( Will Streamers Whiff at the Oscars? ►Not looking great. Netflix has thus far earned 116 Oscar nominations and taken home 16 awards. Yet the ultimate prize, the Academy Award for best picture, has eluded the streamer. THR's [Gregg Kilday]( writes that the Netflix drought may continue at the 95th Academy Awards — for the first time since 2018, and a year after Apple’s historic win for CODA, streamers may be MIA in the best picture category. [The analysis.]( —"We're going to look back at this moment as the time that we were unleashed to do our best." THR's [Seth Abramovitch]( scored the first major interview with the Try Guys since the departure of Ned Fulmer. Now a trio, the group says they are ready to put the scandal behind them with a live fan event. [The interview.]( —"As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images." Balenciaga brand ambassador Kim Kardashian has called out the luxury fashion house for its recent holiday ad campaigns that featured children holding teddy bear bags dressed in what seemed like bondage gear. Kardashian added she was re-evaluating her relationship with the luxury house. [The story.]( —"It has become quite hysterical and there’s a kind of witch hunt and a lack of understanding." Helena Bonham Carter has blasted cancel culture, and come out in support of frequent co-star Johnny Depp and author J.K. Rowling. In a new interview, Bonham Carter criticized the notion that someone’s personal life should impact their career. The actress also said that Amber Heard had become the "poster girl" for the #MeToo movement. [The story.]( 'Yellowstone': Kelly Reilly on Beth Dutton and the Burden She Carries ►"In my brain, she certainly takes up a lot of space." THR's [Jackie Strause]( spoke to Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly about Beth Dutton, who the Brit actress describes as "probably the most fascinating character I’ve ever played." Reilly opens up about how Beth can be all-consuming and how she is "energized by her irreverence and her danger and her recklessness but also her pain." Warning spoilers. [The interview.]( —🏆 Let's hear it for the girls 🏆 Beyoncé was the top winner at the Soul Train Awards on Saturday, winning album of the year, song of the year and best collaboration. This is the fifth consecutive year that a female solo artist has won album of the year. [The winners.]( —"It was something that was exciting because it was terrifying." Greta Gerwig has admitted that she experienced a variety of emotions about taking on her upcoming film Barbie, including the feeling that it could be a "career ender." In a new interview, Gerwig reflected on deciding to work on the script with Noah Baumbach before taking on directorial duties for the Warner Bros. film, explaining that she had been wanting to work with Margot Robbie. [The story.]( THR's Entrepreneurs Survey ►"Hustle like you’re broke." From Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot to Elton John and Jennifer Aniston, the celebrities behind hot brands in spirits, food, beauty and apparel talk about the best business advice they've gotten, what motivated them to start their companies and the fellow stars who inspire them. [The survey.]( —Charged. Squid Game star Oh Yeong-su has been dropped from a series of public service advertisements in South Korea in the wake of the sexual misconduct charges that were filed against him on Friday. The 78-year-old actor, who won a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor for his performance in the smash-hit Netflix thriller, has also pulled out of a co-starring role in an upcoming stage play in the Korean city of Jeonju. [The story.]( —Deadline looms. Fox on Sunday began airing a crawl across some of its channels, warning viewers that come midnight Dec. 2 they could lose access to some of their “favorite Fox programming” if the company can’t reach a “fair agreement” with DirecTV. Ahead of the expiration of a Fox/DirecTV carriage deal, the two companies are continuing active talks. [The story.]( Irene Cara 1959 - 2022 ►"She was a beautifully gifted soul." Irene Cara, the actress and pop star who won an Oscar and a Grammy for the hit “Flashdance… What a Feeling” from Flashdance and created her own memorable screen moments with films such as Sparkle and Fame, has died. She was 63. [The story.]( —"She defined a decade." Debbie Allen, Questlove, Jennifer Beals and Diane Warren were among the Hollywood notables remembering the late Irene Cara. “Irene Cara sang New York City’s song,” tweeted NYC Mayor Eric Adams. "Born in the Bronx, she reached for the stars and delivered a soundtrack for the ages." [The reaction.]( TV Review: 'The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special' ►"A fluffy, funny holiday confection." THR's [Angie Han]( reviews Disney+'s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Marvel's goofiest cosmic heroes stop by Earth in hopes of picking up the perfect present for Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) in a Christmas-themed entry from writer-director James Gunn. [The review.]( —"The bigger sick." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Michael Showalter's Spoiler Alert. Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge star in this moving adaptation of TV journalist Michael Ausiello’s relationship memoir, also featuring Sally Field and Bill Irwin. [The review.]( —"You won't be bored for a nanosecond." THR film critic Frank Scheck reviews S.S. Rajamouli's RRR. This Telugu-language period action-adventure epic, starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan and available on Netflix, has become a worldwide sensation. [The review.]( —"Darker but no less funny." Frank reviews Joel Crawford's Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Antonio Banderas again voices the intrepid cat, who's now down to his last life, in a sequel also featuring voice work by Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman and Salma Hayek. [The review.]( —"Suitable, if at times a little too intense, for small fry." Frank reviews Stephen Donnelly's Scrooge: A Christmas Carol. Luke Evans voices the title character in this Netflix animated adaptation, also featuring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Jonathan Pryce. [The review.]( In other news... —Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren [fiercely defend their home in 1923 trailer]( —Dear Evan Hansen alums [Ben Platt and Noah Galvin are engaged]( —Suzanne Guèvremont [named National Film Board of Canada chair]( —[Gene Cipriano]( famed Hollywood session musician, dies at 94 —[Charles Koppelman]( former music exec and Martha Stewart Living chairman, dies at 82 —[Gene Perret]( Emmy-winning writer on The Carol Burnett Show, dies at 85 What else we're reading... —Adrian Horton looks at the current crop of Oscar-tipped dramas that confront the difficulties of women dealing with the fallout of sexual assault [[Guardian]( —Anna Nicolaou writes that Disney should not be so reliant on one man [[FT]( —Jack Flemming has a great story on the hidden armies of workers that keep L.A.'s mega-mansions on the market [[LAT]( —Taylor Lorenz has a must-read interview with Twitter king Dril who opines on Elon Musk’s chaotic reign [[WaPo]( —Cordilia James looks at why the sound can be so bad on some of today's TV dramas, and the answer lies at virtually every step of the audio process [[WSJ]( Today... Today's birthdays: Jon Stewart (60), Alfonso Cuarón (61), Angelica Ross (42), Ed Harris (72), Karen Gillan (35), Aimee Garcia (44), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (38), [Armando Iannucci]( (59), Randy Newman (79), Joe Cole (34), Ryan Kwanten (46), Rose Abdoo (60), Judd Nelson (63), Daniel Henney (43), Jane Sibbett (60), Ellie Taylor (39), Sterling Macer Jr. (59), Sunny Mabrey (47), Johnny Simmons (36), Joe Dante (76), Colman Domingo (53) Albert Pyun, the director behind such low-budget B-movies as The Sword and the Sorcerer, Cyborg and Nemesis, has died. He was 69. [The obituary.]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](mailto:tips@thr.com?subject=). This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. 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