Slinging in the 'Spider-Verse' Audience, Disney's Faltering Remake Factory and How Kobe Bryant Helped a Founder Find His Passion

Though it's competing in theaters with "The Little Mermaid," the films are finding different viewers [Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse]( [Will 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Steal Box Office From 'The Little Mermaid'?]( By Jeremy Fuster A very busy June for the box office kicks off this weekend with Sony Animation’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” a sequel that is expected to earn an opening weekend more than double that of its 2018 predecessor, the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Back in December 2018, “Into the Spider-Verse” hit theaters, touting a new animated spin on Marvel’s famous webslinger based not on Peter Parker but on Miles Morales, the Afro-Latino teen introduced to the Marvel comics in 2011. The film opened to $35 million just before the Christmas holiday period. And while it faced tough competition from films like “Aquaman,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Bumblebee,” it legged out to a decent $190 million domestic and $375 million global opening. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Disney films - Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Maleficent, Moana, Frozen and Hercules]( [Why 'Little Mermaid' May Mark the End of Disney's Remake Factory Hits | Analysis]( By Scott Mendelson When Bob Iger took over Walt Disney again, one of his first moves was to reassure Wall Street that more sequels and remakes were coming. Disney has a lot in its vault, and remaking animated classics as live-action movies is widely seen as a safe strategy, with built-in audiences for familiar fare. That strategy is coming into question, though, as weak international box office numbers for “The Little Mermaid” trickle in. The live-action remake of the 1989 film grossed $95 million in its Friday-Sunday North American debut, but just $68 million overseas. For comparison, star power fueled the 2019 “Aladdin” remake with Will Smith and 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” with Emma Watson, both of which earned more than $1 billion, mostly overseas. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [gotham-chopra-owav]( [Office With a View: How Kobe Bryant Helped Religion of Sports Cofounder Gotham Chopra Discover His Passion]( By Lucas Manfredi As a first-generation American born and raised in New England, Gotham Chopra was always obsessed with two things: storytelling and sports. “For me, sports in Boston was just an obsession. It was a way of becoming American,” the Religion of Sports cofounder told TheWrap for this week’s Office With a View. “As I grew up, I was just one of those kids who loved stories, who got obsessed with cameras and I was a writer by background.” (It probably didn’t hurt that his father is noted author Deepak Chopra.) [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Steve Hilton on "The Next Revolution" on Fox News]( [Fox News Reshuffles Weekend Lineup After Bongino Exit]( [Netflix Co-Ceos]( [Netflix Shareholders Reject Execs’ $166 Million Payday]( [succession-kieran-culkin-sarah-snook-jeremy-strong-hbo]( [10 Shows ‘Succession’ Fans Are Watching Now | Chart]( [david leavy discovery]( [Discovery Veteran David Leavy Set as CNN COO]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Wrap Pro logo] Discover why entertainment executives and professionals rely on the WrapPRO platform daily for exclusive coverage, analysis, deeper reporting, and access to VIP events & screenings throughout the year. [Subscribe Today]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( TheWrap | 2034 Armacost Ave Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](