‘Aquaman 2’ Flounders to $4.5 Million, Lionsgate Studios to Go Public and 7 Predictions for Tech in 2024

Plus: Freestyle Digital Media acquires ‘Maya,’ CNN to host town halls with DeSantis and Haley, and KCRW GM Ruth Seymour dies at 88 [Aquaman 2 poster]( ['Aquaman 2' Flounders to $4.5 Million at Thursday Box Office]( By Adam Chitwood “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is off to a sluggish start at the holiday box office with $4.5 million from Thursday previews. That’s well below the $9 million that the first “Aquaman” made from previews and sneak peek screenings in 2018, and also below the $9.7 million that “The Flash” earned earlier this year on its way to a disappointing $55 million opening weekend. The preview total for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” was almost beat by fellow Warner Bros. release “Wonka,” which grossed $4.2 million on Thursday for a total of $57.5 million in North America after a week in theaters. Holiday success for Warner Bros. will more likely come from musicals than superheroes as “Wonka” is enjoying strong word-of-mouth while Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple” is also expected to do the same when it opens on Christmas Day with a projected opening day total of at least $10 million. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [hunger-games-rachel-zegler]( [Lionsgate Studios to Go Public in SPAC Deal Valued at $4.6 Billion]( By Eileen AJ Connelly Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. on Friday said it will spin off its studio business into a a separately traded public company via a SPAC deal that is expected to generate about $350 million. The new company, which will include Lionsgate’s television studio and motion picture group, along with what the legacy company called “one of the world’s most valuable film and television libraries,” will combine with Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [7 Predictions for Tech in 2024]( By Alex Kantrowitz The past year was easily the most interesting I’ve covered in more than a decade on the tech beat. We witnessed legitimate technological breakthroughs, the breaking and reformation of OpenAI, the ascent of Nvidia, the fall of SBF, and wild, Big Tech-driven swings in the stock market. Next year might top it. The tech industry has poured so much money and effort into generative AI that new models and products will soon flood the market. Some will retain information for longer than today’s bots, and others might start to reason. This evolution of LLMs leads my list of predictions for 2024, covering what’s next for AI, self-driving, mixed reality, and more. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Maya]( [Freestyle Digital Media Acquires Dark Thriller ‘Maya’ for Early 2024 Release | Exclusive]( [ron-desantis-nikki-haley]( [CNN to Host Back-to-Back Town Halls With Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley in January]( [Ruth Seymour]( [Ruth Seymour, Legendary KCRW General Manager, Dies at 88]( [Violent Night]( [Audiences Want Fewer Holiday Romances and More Holiday Thrillers | Charts]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [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]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo](