How Roger Goodell Conquered Hollywood; Deal Frenzy Could Hit Entertainment Industry; Taylor Swift Film Set to Open to $100M; Latest Venice Reviews

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( September 06, 2023 What's news: It's magazine day! This week's cover star is NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Roku is laying off 10 percent of its staff. Disney+ has launched a price promo to boost its ad tier. Paramount+ has renewed Mayor of Kingstown. Tubi has hit 74m users. Tituss Burgess is returning to Broadway. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. How Roger Goodell Conquered Hollywood ►On the cover. Under Roger Goodell's tenure as commissioner of the NFL, the league has asserted itself as the dominant force in live TV. Of the top 100 most watched TV broadcasts in 2022, 88 were NFL games, including 23 of the top 25, per Nielsen. THR's [Alex Weprin]( writes that to the tune of $110b, the NFL has shrewdly leveraged the fact that media — whether NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN or Amazon and YouTube — needs its product more than it needs them. [The cover story.]( M&A Sharks Get Ready for Feeding Frenzy of Hollywood Deals ►"There will be a lot of deals attempted." For decades, the FTC and DOJ essentially rubber-stamped many vertical mergers under the theory that they lower production costs and ultimately lead to lower prices for consumers. THR's [Winston Cho]( writest that this changed under the Biden administration which has been seeking to rein in consolidation of major industries by a handful of companies. However, major court losses and more favorable economic conditions could set the stage for a new round of megadeals and mergers. [The analysis.]( —Slashing prices. Disney is launching a significant promotional effort meant to help drive subscribers to the advertising-supported tier of Disney+. Beginning Wednesday and running through Sept. 20, Disney will offer the basic ad tier for $1.99 per month for three months. The tier normally costs $7.99 per month, making the offer an $18 savings. The offer is available to both new and returning subscribers. [The story.]( —Slashing jobs. Roku is laying off another 10 percent of its staff and taking charges for additional restructuring moves, the company revealed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. Roku cut 200 jobs last November and a further 200 jobs in March. The company is also taking an impairment charge in the estimated range of $55m to $65m related to removing select existing licensed and produced content on its streaming service. [The story.]( —Hollywood comeback? Alex Weprin reports that former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appears to be pursuing a return to the film business. In a securities filing Tuesday, a fund controlled by Mnuchin disclosed a 5.5 percent stake in Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.’s Class A voting shares. Mnuchin’s fund acquired the stake in the parent company of Lionsgate and Starz on the open market over the past few weeks for about $30.8m. [The story.]( —Growing glocal. Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said the company will keep growing its content spending on “premium longform content,” as well as investing in more local programming around the world. Speaking at a conference Tuesday, Peters said Netflix will continue spending “over time” in all areas, including longform and shortform content in the U.S., as well as local-language content and docs (with user-generated content as the only area Netflix will not compete in). The streamer will also look to expand its presence in gaming. [The story.]( Theaters Predict $100M Opening for Taylor Swift Film ►Swifties assemble! Several exhibition sources tell THR's [Pamela McClintock]( that they believe Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour could open to a record $100m, based on brisk advance ticket sales. Nor are theater owners ruling out the movie ultimately grossing a boffo $150m or more domestically. With the summer season over, cinemas are counting on the concert film to be a formidable October surprise at the box office. [The box office report.]( —Next up. Sound of Freedom director Alejandro Monteverde is getting back in business with Utah-based Angel Studios for the release of his latest movie, Cabrini. The drama portrays Francesca Cabrini, a poor Italian immigrant in New York City who overcame the odds to become a major entrepreneur in the 19th century. Angel will release Cabrini in theaters on March 8, 2024. [The story.]( —🎭 Been too long 🎭 Tituss Burgess is returning to Broadway as the new Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The Schmigadoon! star will play the role of the Moulin Rouge Club owner for a limited engagement through Dec. 17. He fills in for Eric Anderson, who will return to the role on Dec. 19. Burgess' last Broadway appearance was in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls, in which he played Nicely-Nicely Johnson. [The story.]( Telluride Post-Fest Analysis ►Rocky Mountain highs and lows. THR's executive editor for awards Scott Feinberg and senior film editor [Rebecca Keegan]( discuss the 2023 Telluride Film Festival movies and performances that popped, the incoming fire that some biopics are taking and how the strikes remain on everyone's mind. [The conversation.]( —"For Black filmmakers, we’re told that people who love films in other parts of the world don’t care about our stories." Ava DuVernay made history at the Venice Film Festival, becoming the first female Black U.S. director in the event’s 80 years to have a film in the main competition. DuVernay addressed this milestone head-on at the press conference for Origin, having its world premiere on Wednesday night, explaining that Black U.S. filmmakers are led to believe that international film festivals are simply not places for their work. [The story.]( —Returning to duty. Jeremy Renner, who suffered 30 broken bones in a New Year’s Day snowplow accident, is set to return to his starring role in the Taylor Sheridan drama Mayor of Kingstown. The Paramount+ series, which wrapped its second season in March, has now officially been renewed for a third season on the streamer. Sources tell THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( that the series had been quietly picked up months ago, but the streamer delayed a formal announcement for the show's return while Renner recovered from his injuries. [The story.]( —Bonza! CBS will air NCIS: Sydney, an Australia-based installment of its multishow franchise, beginning in November. The series, announced in early 2022, will also run on Paramount+ in its home country and debut on the streamer in other markets later. NCIS: Sydney is part of an effort from Paramount+ to expand local offerings in markets outside the U.S. as it attempts to scale up the streamer internationally. [The story.]( —Stellar growth. Tubi, Fox’s free, advertising-supported streaming service, now has more than 74m monthly active users. That’s up from the 64m reported in February. And the streaming platform, which was launched in 2014, has recorded close to 4 billion streaming hours for the first half of 2023. As of July, Tubi also reached 1.4 percent of total TV viewing time, according to Nielsen’s most recent Gauge report. [The story.]( Disabled Strikers Talk Accessibility Challenges at Picket Lines ►"We’re not invisible." From record-breaking temperatures to environmental hazards, performers and writers with disabilities discuss with THR's [Abbey White]( what they're facing on the picket line and how they're working to create a more inclusive strike. [The story.]( —"We're talking to people who are living in their cars, in some cases with their families." A record number of Hollywood workers are facing evictions and seeking rent assistance amid the dual strikes, according to Motion Picture & Television Fund president and CEO Bob Beitcher. THR's [Kirsten Chuba]( writes that actors, writers and crewmembers are being hit by both the work stoppage and an end to COVID tenant protections. [The story.]( —"I was freaking out." Arnold Schwarzenegger says that one of his surgeries nearly killed him. The 76-year-old action icon discussed his third open-heart surgery in a new YouTube video and says the procedure’s unexpected problems had him panicked. The valve replacement surgery was right before he filmed 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, and the former California governor described waking up in the hospital and doctors explaining to him that the procedure had caused unexpected internal bleeding. [The story.]( Film Review: 'Hit Man' ►"Smart and steamy screwball fun." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Richard Linklater's Hit Man. Playing out of competition in Venice, the film — starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona — centers on a geeky academic who also works undercover for the police posing as a hit man. [The review.]( —"Game on." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Harmony Korine's AGGRO DR1FT. Premiering out of competition in Venice, the latest work by the Spring Breakers director is a breezy assassin flick starring rapper Travis Scott and features a score by beatmaker AraabMuzik. [The review.]( —"Major misfire." Jordan reviews Roman Polanski's The Palace. The scandal-plagued 90-year-old director’s latest feature, starring Mickey Rourke, Fanny Ardant and John Cleese, premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival. [The review.]( —"Ambitious and accomplished, but not always involving." Jordan reviews Bertrand Bonello's Venice competition entry The Beast. The French director's film, starring Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, adapts a Henry James novella, which he transforms into a romantic thriller set during three different epochs. [The review.]( —"Lights, camera, dissatisfaction." Jordan reviews Cédric Kahn's Making Of. The latest feature from the director of The Goldman Case, about a movie shoot that seriously flies off the rails, premiered out of competition in Venice. [The review.]( —"A farm-to-table film." Jordan reviews Frederick Wiseman's Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros. The 93-year-old director’s latest feature, premiering at the Venice Film Festival, focuses on a Michelin 3-Star restaurant run by the same family for four generations. [The review.]( Film Review: 'Evil Does Not Exist' ►"Even the head-scratcher of an ending stays with you." THR's chief film critic [David Rooney]( reviews Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's Venice competition entry Evil Does Not Exist. The Japanese director follows Drive My Car with an unsettling reflection on man and nature in a story about a Tokyo company’s poorly planned project to build a luxury camping retreat near a small rural community that creates conflict when it threatens the purity of the village’s spring water supply. [The review.]( —"Creatively scratches a philosophical itch." THR's [Sheri Linden]( reviews Christos Nikou's Fingernails. Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White and Luke Wilson also star in the English-language debut of the Athens-born director of Apples. [The review.]( —"A well-etched story on dread overload." Sheri reviews Kitty Green's The Royal Hotel. Two American backpackers (Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick) sign on as temporary workers at a remote Australian pub in a narrative feature inspired by a documentary. [The review.]( —"Understated intensity." Sheri reviews Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's Baltimore. Starring Imogen Poots, the feature focuses on the aftermath of the largest art heist in history, committed in the name of the Irish Republican Army. [The review.]( —"Taut and affecting." Sheri reviews Selman Nacar's Hesitation Wound. A criminal defense attorney juggles urgent matters on the job and within her family in a Turkish drama premiering at the Venice Film Festival. [The review.]( —"Technically impressive, but not entirely satisfying." THR's [Lovia Gyarkye]( reviews Robert Kolodny's The Featherweight. In his feature directorial debut, Kolodny chronicles the featherweight champion Willie Pep's attempts to get back in the ring. [The review.]( In other news... —Joe Jonas [officially files for divorce from Sophie Turner]( —ICG to honor [Janusz Kaminski, Stephen Lighthill at Emerging Cinematographers Awards]( —Vicky Krieps [to receive Toronto Film Festival Tribute Award]( —Liz Jenkins [named chief business officer for NBCUniversal Studio Group]( —Amanda Linder [named managing director at comms and marketing agency Azione]( —Lori O’Connor [named svp entertainment, digital sales & strategy at THR]( —[Gary Wright]( “Dream Weaver” singer, dies at 80 —[Marcia DeRousse]( True Blood actress, dies at 70 —[Elliot Goldman]( founding executive at Arista Records, dies at 88 —[John Regis]( veteran comedian and entertainer, dies at 94 What else we're reading... —Alex Sherman has produced a well-sourced monster piece (seriously) on the executive chaos at Disney after Bob Chapek replaced Bob Iger as CEO [[CNBC]( —Gabriella Paiella makes a very compelling argument for the studios to bring back 90's style legal thrillers [[GQ]( —Thought-provoking Andrea Long Chu review of Zadie Smith's latest book The Fraud, looking at how far the Brit author's work has moved away from the brilliance of White Teeth [[Vulture]( —Amanda Hoover reports on what could be the beginning of the end for Airbnb in New York as the city cracks down on thousands of short term rentals [[Wired]( —After Elon Musk blamed the ADL for much of Twitter's financial woes, Michael Hiltzik writes that the erratic tech oligarch has finally come around to blaming the Jews [[LAT]( Today... ...in 2013, Universal released David Twohy's Riddick in theaters. The third entry in the Vin Diesel-led Riddick franchise, the film made $98.3m worldwide at the box office. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: [Idris Elba]( (51), Naomie Harris (47), Rosie Perez (59), Anika Noni Rose (51), Jovan Adepo (35), Michael Winslow (65), Lauren Lapkus (38), Chad L. Coleman (56), Jane Curtin (76), Freya Allan (22), Betsy Russell (60), Justina Machado (51), Swoosie Kurtz (79), Bertie Carvel (46), Asher Angel (21), Mark Ivanir (55), Justin Whalin (49), Howard Charles (40), Trina McGee (54), Carter Smith (52), Ian Puleston-Davies (65🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿), Macy Gray (56), James Lew (71), Paton Ashbrook (35), Patti Yasutake (70), Barbora Kodetová (53), John Polson (58) Nathan Louis Jackson, the playwright, screenwriter and producer who worked on the Netflix superhero series Luke Cage, has died. He was 44. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by The Hollywood Reporter. 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. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](