Hey, good morning. Here's the latest from Jason Blum, Mark Duplass, Batya Ungar-Sargon, Matt Walsh, Maggie Haberman, Rome Hartman, Will Ripley, Ezra Klein, Barry Diller, and many more... |
Hollywood's new insurgents |
Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Fritz said it best: "I've covered box office results literally hundreds of times in my career. The mind-blowing success of 'Backrooms' and 'Obsession' this weekend easily ranks in the top 1% as far as long-term significance for the movie business."
Why? Because, as Fritz and John Jurgensen wrote, "young filmmakers from the internet are beating big franchises at the box office."
"It's not an anomaly," Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University's film school, told the NYT's Brooks Barnes. "It's the start of a gigantic shift. These are the cinematic insurgents of our era."
"Obsession," directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker, opened in theaters May 15. Filmed for roughly $750,000, the darkly funny horror film has made $150 million to date, a jaw-dropping return on investment for Focus Features and Blumhouse.
Then last Friday came "Backrooms" — the product of 20-year-old creator Kane Parsons, who developed the project for years on his YouTube channel. The psychological horror film ranked No. 1 over the weekend and made a mind-blowing $120 million worldwide, with ticket sales fueled by Gen Z.
In other words, "a movie born from an internet meme opened bigger than the latest Pixar release and sequels to 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Scream,'" Fritz and Jurgensen wrote. And that fact "is melting brains in the offices of studio executives who have long trusted that established brands and franchises were the most reliable way to get butts in seats. That formula is being turned on its head this spring."
"Obsession" was No. 2 for the weekend, pushing "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu," which opened a week earlier, to No. 3. "Obsession" has been defying gravity: Focus said yesterday that it is "the first film since 1982 that went up in box office over its second and third weekends" (excluding the Christmas season).
The box office receipts have The New Yorker's Justin Chang wondering: "Might a generation raised on social media, a force often credited with hastening the death of theatrical moviegoing, instead prove to be its salvation?"
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'A billion test screenings' |
Mark Duplass, who plays a scientist in "Backrooms," said in a social media video that the two films were giving the movie business a "glimmer of hope."
"We've got an example of creators woodshedding things, putting them online, building an audience," he said. "And now the people with the purse strings are going to notice... because they see what they can do at the box office, you know, in the form of these two films that are over-performing."
Naturally, this was the talk of the Produced By Conference over the weekend. Jason Blum said "there's almost this feeling of the ’70s, of this new generation of young people who are making edgy movies that are connecting in theaters in a crazy way."
Warner Bros. Motion Pictures co-chair Michael De Luca observed that filmmakers like Parsons, who "worked on 'Backrooms' for five years," are "in a dialogue with their audience from the word 'go.' Their subscribers have direct input in each iteration of these things."
And "by the time you get to the movie," he said, "they've had a billion test screenings."
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So what does this all mean? Well, it obviously means that Hollywood studios are going to scour YouTube for the next great auteur.
But to merely view YouTube as a new way to discover talent is to "dramatically underplay" this moment, Steven Zeitchik argues in this must-read THR column.
The Alphabet-owned platform makes filmmakers famous, streams their work, helps them strike brand partnerships and gives them a huge marketing megaphone. "This is a phenomenon generated, driven and controlled by creators and the biggest company in the world that amplifies them," he writes, urging people to think through all the implications for the traditional studio system...
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China orders NYT reporter to leave, and US 'reciprocates' |
"China's government has ordered a New York Times reporter to leave the country, and the Trump administration has responded by revoking the visa of a U.S.-based Chinese state media journalist, in a diplomatic tit-for-tat with implications for press freedoms and U.S.-China relations," the NYT's Michael Crowley reports. Read on...
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Today: Happy birthday, CNN! The network turns 46 today.
Tuesday: Jill Biden's memoir hits bookshelves.
Tuesday night: Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, live on ABC, and special primary election coverage, all across cable.
Wednesday: The Tribeca Festival begins its 25th year.
Wednesday night: Game 1 of the NBA Finals, live on ABC.
Sunday: The Tony Awards, live on CBS.
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Trump wants to turn 250th concert into a rally |
Typical Trump: Most of the artists who were booked to perform at the Great American State Fair's marquee concert series have pulled out, so the president says he'll replace the "overpriced" and "boring" singers by hosting a rally instead.
There is some confusion about whether he's "rallying the country" or hosting an opening ceremony. Either way, though, Trump gets to be the star. And some MAGA media voices are ridiculing the change of plans.
Trump "just talking about himself for 90 minutes" in place of a concert "would be ridiculous and sad," podcaster Matt Walsh, who has been increasingly critical of Trump in recent months, wrote on X. He added, "America's birthday should not be about Trump. He isn't the star. The country is."
As CNN's T.M. Brown and Alejandra Jaramillo wrote, "all of the artists who have pulled out suggested they were misled about the event's political associations." Read on...
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Pressure points in Trumpland |
>> Friday's ruling against Trump led WaPo critic Philip Kennicott to conclude that "The Kennedy Center saga encapsulates all of the needless destruction of the Trump administration." (WaPo)
>> Upheaval at the Kennedy Center has left the place feeling like a "ghost ship" in recent months, Janay Kingsberry wrote. (The Atlantic)
>> "Your supporters need help, Mr. President," Batya Ungar-Sargon said on "NewsNation" over the weekend, directly pleading with Trump and making a proposal for stimulus checks. (Video via X)
>> Conservative journalist John Solomon "is in discussions to join the White House as a special government employee," apparently to lead a "transparency" task force that will let him pursue theories he has promoted for years, Maggie Haberman and Luke Broadwater scooped. (NYT)
>> Trump has suffered "one of the sharpest polling collapses of any modern president," leading pollsters "to question long-standing assumptions about the president's floor of support, wondering whether it is at risk of giving way," Michael Wilner and Ana Ceballos wrote. (LAT)
>> Charles R. Davis asked: "Why did the press ignore a gathering of the world's leading fascists?" (The Redoubt)
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The view from '60 Minutes' staff... |
Friday's edition of Reliable Sources featured my reporting about why Bari Weiss is overhauling "60 Minutes" and fresh POV from new executive producer Nick Bilton. Afterward, I heard from "60" veteran Rome Hartman, who produced for the newsmag for more than 25 years and just retired last year.
Hartman said I didn't capture the level of shock and disappointment among the "60" staff. He's right — so I asked to quote him since he is still in touch with so many people there.
Hartman said Thursday's firings of Tanya Simon, her No. 2 Draggan Mihailovich, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecelia Vega showed "arrogance, disrespect, and cruelty."
The reporters and producers at "60" "aren't stuck-in-the-past dinosaurs, as Weiss and her folks would have you believe; they are seasoned professionals doing their jobs with creativity and energy and innovation," he said.
As for Alfonsi and Vega, Hartman argued that Weiss "is retaliating against two distinguished, veteran correspondents, apparently for having the temerity to tackle tough stories and tell the truth, and then to push back when Weiss — who has exactly ZERO experience in straight journalism — tried to put a thumb on the scales of their good and honest work."
Weiss hasn't commented on those firings, and I'm sure her allies would defend her journalistic track record. But Hartman's words — warning that Weiss and Bilton "are selling a bogus bill of goods" — reflect the severe tension at "60" right now.
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'60' vets to pressure David Ellison |
This morning, Breaker's Lachlan Cartwright reported that a group of former "60" staffers is preparing a letter to Paramount CEO David Ellison, urging him to show "that you respect and value editorial independence and press freedom."
Over the weekend, The Washington Post quoted former "60" correspondent Steve Kroft saying Paramount is acting out of "fear" of the Trump administration because "they don't want to do anything to upset this deal" to take control of Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN.
>> Last night, Trump mentioned that pending deal in a Truth Social post complaining about CNN's coverage of his negotiations with Iran. He said of CNN, "Even with new ownership, it is unlikely to ever get better!!!"
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The unforgettable Laos cave story |
"This is a story I will never forget," CNN correspondent Will Ripley remarked. On Sunday, Ripley and his team were "the only international journalists on the scene in central Laos as four of the seven villagers trapped inside a flooded cave shocked rescuers and the world when they walked out on their own."
Earlier, on Friday, Ripley worked with Bangkok-based CNN producer Kocha Olarn to interview a rescue diver live by phone from the cave, with Olarn translating in real time, so viewers could hear how the newsgathering process happens.
>> Ripley and Olarn, along with several other CNNers, wrote up this truly compelling account of "How the Laos cave survivors found the courage to rescue themselves."
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>> "Barry Diller is working on a bid to buy MGM Resorts." (DealBook)
>> NBC is hosting its first live ticketed event for "Meet the Press" on June 29 in NYC. (Variety)
>> "The Washington Post's weather division, Capital Weather Gang, has separated from the Post after 18 years. It has rebranded to just Capital Weather and will run as an independent site and app." (WTOP)
>> "Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence on stage at an event at Hay festival, after lawyers advised her not to speak because of ongoing legal action brought by Meta." (The Guardian)
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FOS names new exec and first-ever culture reporter |
Liam Reilly writes: Front Office Sports hired Kyle Vinansky as chief revenue officer, effective today. Most recently, Vinansky was Forbes' chief business and strategy officer. FOS also hired Ellyn Briggs as its first culture and lifestyle reporter, who previously served as a senior brand analyst at Morning Consult. |
>> Columbia Journalism Review's splashy new "Access Issue" is out today, with stories examining how "our old framework for 'insiders' and 'outsiders' no longer applies, and trust in journalism is plummeting." (CJR)
>> Maris Kreizman tackles "the rise of ragebait lit": "This spring, arguing about books in the group chat is back." (Harper's Bazaar)
>> Ezra Klein says, "We know what we fear A.I. will do to us. But what do we hope it will do for us?" (NYT)
>> Kate Knibbs says WIRED asked Steve Rosenbaum "to explain how he used AI" for his book, and "It didn't go well." (WIRED)
>> Charlotte Klein argues that "nonfiction book publishers aren't remotely ready for AI." (NY Mag)
>> Glenn Whipp says this is looking like "the most underwhelming Emmy race in years." (LAT)
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A few more Hollywood headlines |
>> "Content creator KSI has left the Sidemen after more than a decade with the massively popular YouTubers." (CNN)
>> M.I.A. "has sued Kid Cudi for more than $2.8 million after the musician... removed her from his Rebel Rangers Tour following 'offensive remarks' she made while serving as opener at a recent gig." (Rolling Stone)
>> "Love Island USA" "sent a cast member home after racist social media messages surfaced two days after the series announced this year's cast." (TheWrap)
>> Last but not least: Jimmy Kimmel accepted a Peabody Award last night and told the award ceremony audience that "making jokes about the president – in America – shouldn’t win you a prize. We have the right, guaranteed by the Constitution, to criticize and satirize our leaders. That is a right I took for granted, for the first 57 years of my life, until last September, when the FCC delivered an unpleasant surprise..." (Variety)
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