Barbenheimer Takes Box Office by Storm; Can 'Dead Reckoning' Rebound?; Spacey Trial Jury Retires to Consider Verdict; 'Sympathy for the Devil' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( July 24, 2023 What's news: Hello again! I'm back after a trip back home to Wales. Thanks to THR's resident ruffian Ryan Gajewski for holding the fort while I was away. The big news from the weekend is the triumphant march of Barbie and Oppenheimer at the domestic box office. Twitter has a new logo. Spotify has raised its subscription prices. Robert Blair has left WBD. ESPN's Shaka Hislop collapsed live on air. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Barbenheimer Takes Box Office by Storm! ►The movies are so back! Greta Gerwig’s Barbie opened to a historic $162m domestically, coming in well ahead of an expected $90m to $110m and helped fuel one of the biggest weekends in history. Completing the boffo one-two at the domestic box office, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer likewise came in well ahead of expectations with $82.4m. THR's [Pamela McClintock]( writes that thanks to the Barbenheimer phenomenon, it is the fourth-biggest weekend of all time at the domestic box office. [The box office report.]( —Greta's moment. With Barbie's staggering opening, Greta Gerwig has broken the opening weekend record for a female director. Pamela writes that the film's stunning start is a testament to Gerwig’s vision of bringing the world’s most famous fashion doll to the big screen, as well as to the marketing campaign orchestrated by Warner Bros. and toymaker Mattel. [The story.]( —Long time coming. Before there was Gerwig and Margot Robbie, several other top creatives, including Amy Schumer and Diablo Cody, took a swing at making Barbie a big screen star. THR's [James Hibberd]( has the brief history of Barbie's rocky road to the multiplex. [The story.]( —It's not pink everywhere. Alas, Barbie's phenomenal domestic box office opening wasn’t matched in China. The film opened to just $8m in the world's second biggest movie market, finishing the weekend in fifth place behind a bunch of local hits. Despite strong word-of-mouth, the soft start for Barbie continues a trend of Hollywood films earning much less in China than they once did. [The China box office report.]( Can 'Dead Reckoning' Rebound From Barbenheimer? ►Down, but not out. The seventh installment in Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible action franchise tumbled a series-worst 64 percent as Barbie and Oppenheimer turned into weapons of mass destruction. Pamela McClintock looks at whether Dead Reckoning can level out and enjoy a long run as other series installments have done, and just as Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick did. [The analysis.]( —Nolan for Bond? Christopher Nolan once again shared his admiration for the James Bond franchise and revealed it would be an “amazing privilege” to direct a film featuring the Brit super spy. In a new interview, the Oppenheimer filmmaker admitted that he would gladly accept the opportunity if presented at the “right moment.” [The story.]( —"I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career." Robert Downey Jr. praised Cillian Murphy’s take on J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, in Nolan’s Oppenheimer. In a new interview, Downey, who plays Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss in the film, spoke glowingly of Murphy's “commitment” to the role. [The story.]( Spacey Trial Jury Retires to Consider Verdict ►Decision pending. Kevin Spacey’s criminal trial in the U.K. is now in the hands of its jury. Almost five weeks after the two-time Oscar winner’s trial over multiple charges of sexual assault first started at London’s Southwark Crown Court, Justice Mark Wall on Monday summed up the evidence that had been presented before asking the 12-strong jury to retire to deliberate. [The story.]( —Guilty plea. James Gordon Meek, a former ABC News producer, has pled guilty to the transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material. The former journalist is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29 and is facing a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, with a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. [The story.]( —Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Twitter has a new logo and will soon have a new name, according to owner Elon Musk. After the erratic billionaire tweeted that he was looking to do away with Twitter brand identity, the social media giant introduced the new "X" logo late on Sunday night. [The story.]( —Inevitable. In its latest attempt to boost revenue and cut losses, Spotify unveiled a widely telegraphed move to raise prices for its premium paying subscriber base. The new monthly cost for U.S. users will be $10.99, the company said. The hike brings Spotify in line with rivals Apple Music ($10.99 a month) and Amazon Music ($10.99, though cheaper for Prime members), which both raised prices last year. And Spotify’s move arrives days after YouTube Music also raised its price by $1 to $10.99 a month. [The story.]( —Another exit. Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of international TV distribution Robert Blair is set to leave the company after 25 years as part of another round of restructuring for the studio’s international arm. In an internal memo seen by THR, WBD’s president of international Gerhard Zeiler announced that Blair would be exiting and also that his post, which he was promoted to in 2019, would not be replaced. [The story.]( —Awful moment. Shaka Hislop, a former soccer player who now serves as an analyst for ESPN, passed out during a live pre-match telecast Sunday at the Rose Bowl. Hislop and co-host Dan Thomas appeared on the air before a friendly match between AC Milan and Real Madrid. During the live segment, Hislop can be seen wobbling before losing his balance and keeling forward. Thomas later told viewers that Hislop had regained consciousness. [The story.]( Comic-Con 2023 ►Strike fallout. Amid Hollywood’s ongoing labor strife between studios and streamers, Amazon unveiled plans to split the second season of animated series Invincible into two chapters. Unveiled during the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Amazon said the second season of the series would return Nov. 3, with the first of four of the eight-episode sophomore run. New episodes will bow weekly on the streamer, with the second half of the superhero title arriving at a date to be determined in early 2024. [The story.]( —"The characters are the same characters — no change." Rick and Morty held a Comic-Con panel Friday, where the Adult Swim show’s team gave an update on the casting process following Justin Roiland’s exit in light of felony domestic abuse charges that have since been dismissed. THR varlet [Ryan Gajewski]( reports that the show's executive producer Steve Levy addressed the voice cast change head on and revealed it to be "soundalikes." [The story.]( —In it for the long haul. AMC is remaining committed to its Walking Dead spinoffs. The basic cable network used its time before fans Friday at Comic-Con to hand out renewals for Walking Dead spinoffs Dead City, starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, as well as to its upcoming Norman Reedus-led Daryl Dixon series. [The story.]( —📅 Mark it down 📅 The upcoming John Wick event series, a three-part movie from director and executive producer Albert Hughes, finally has an air date. The Continental: From the World of John Wick will premiere on Sept. 22. That will follow with night two airing Sept. 29 and night three airing Oct. 6. The announcement was made during Peacock’s panel for the series at SDCC. [The story.]( Saldaña Hopes 'Lioness' Is a Spiritual Successor to 'Sicario' All interviews were conducted prior to the July 13 SAG-AFTRA strike. ►"I hadn’t read something as intense and as good in a while. So I was instantly hooked." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to Zoe Saldaña about her new Paramount+ action series Special Ops: Lioness. Saldaña, who joins the long list of movie stars to lead a Taylor Sheridan series, also talks about the conclusion of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. [The interview.]( —"We shot the movie in Bulgaria during the pandemic, which had its own weird vibe." Brian also spoke to Cobweb star Lizzy Caplan on making her first proper horror movie after 24 years of acting. The two-time Emmy nominee reveals she wasn't a fan of the genre until recent years, and acknowledges her breakout role in Mean Girls may have pegged her for comedy early on. [The interview.]( Film Review: 'Sympathy for the Devil' ►"Caged heat." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Yuval Adler's Sympathy for the Devil. An unhinged Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman star in this violent two-hander about a driver and passenger engaging in a long duel of death. [The review.]( —"Great army ad, lackluster drama." THR's [Angie Han]( reviews Paramount+'s Special Ops: Lioness. Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman star in Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan's latest drama about an elite CIA operation to infiltrate a group of terrorists by befriending their wives and daughters. [The review.]( —"A juicy premise turned into a so-so show." Angie reviews Freeform’s Praise Petey. Annie Murphy leads the adult animated series about a New York fashionista who becomes the new leader of a rural Southern cult founded by her late father. [The review.]( —"An acceptably amusing return." THR's chief TV critic [Dan Fienberg]( reviews Hulu's Futurama. After runs on Fox and Comedy Central, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's animated sci-fi comedy leaps into the bold new frontier of streaming. [The review.]( In other news... —Star Trek: Strange New Worlds [musical episode announced, trailer revealed]( —Netflix's One Piece trailer: [Iñaki Godoy takes on the high seas, dangerous rivals]( —Ryan Reynolds [revives ALF for his Maximum Effort Channel]( —Producer [Oren Koules cuts $35m deal on Malibu’s Broad Beach]( —Joker DP [Lawrence Sher named Filmlight Color Awards jury chair]( —Cher [says she’s launching a gelato brand]( —[George Alagiah]( veteran BBC News anchor, dies at 67 —[Josephine Chaplin]( actress and daughter of Charlie Chaplin, dies at 74 What else we're reading... —Jen Chaney salutes Michael Cera's Allan, the unsung hero of Barbie [[Vulture]( —A great Lane Florsheim interview with cinematographer Roger Deakins, who discusses working with the Coen Brothers, one-shot films and his most prized possession [[WSJ]( —After the devastation of the pandemic, Michael Paulson reports on the crisis in America's regional theaters that are staging fewer shows, laying off staff and closing [[NYT]( —Ashley Lee has an interesting piece on how the Beetlejuice musical beat bad reviews and became a Gen Z hit [[LAT]( —Roger Sollenberger reports on what was in that Vice documentary about Ron DeSantis that Showtime abruptly pulled a day after the Florida governor declared for president [[Daily Beast]( Today... …in 1998, Steven Spielberg brought Saving Private Ryan to theaters, where the film would become a summer hit and go on to win five Oscars. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Jennifer Lopez (54), Rose Byrne (44), Anna Paquin (41), Elisabeth Moss (41), [Lynda Carter]( (72), Patty Jenkins (52), Kristin Chenoweth (55), Mara Wilson (36), Summer Glau (42), Michelle Buteau (46), Cailee Spaeny (25), Emily Bett Rickards (32), Daveigh Chase (33), Laura Fraser (48), Julie Graham (58), Megan Park (37), Penelope Mitchell (32), Eliza Butterworth (30), Lauren Miller Rogen (42), Laura Leighton (55), Shawn Weatherly (64), Torrie Wilson (48), Shannon Thornton (36), Mohammed Amer (42), Christian Keyes (48), Troy Kotsur (55), Gus Van Sant (71), Doug Liman (58), Paul Ben-Victor (58), Jaboukie Young-White (29), Rick Fox (54), Robert Hays (76), Dan Hedaya (83), Kadeem Hardison (58), Chris Sarandon (81), Danny Dyer (46) Bill Geddie, who created the ABC talk show The View with Barbara Walters, produced many of her audience-grabbing TV specials and served as a partner in her production company for a quarter-century, has died. He was 68. 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