by Emily Nagle
Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for Weekend of July 30 – August 1
5. Stillwater ($5.1 million)
4. Black Widow ($6.4 million)
3. Old ($6.7 million)
2. The Green Knight ($6.7 million)
1. Jungle Cruise ($34.2 million)
This weekend saw the release of several films, three of which ended up dominating the box office. In addition to the three films that made the top 5, “Nine Days”, “Enemies of the State”, and “Never Gonna Snow Again” also debuted this weekend, but all grossed less than $20,000.
Medieval fantasy “The Green Knight” stars Dev Patel as Gawain, a newly appointed knight who sets out on a journey to face the Green Knight and prove himself a hero. It’s based on a piece of 14th-century literature titled Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and has been praised by critics for its cinematography (done by Andrew Droz Palermo) and direction (David Lowery).
It’s been less than a week since Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” first rolled out to theaters, and already it’s climbed to number one at the box office. Based on the Disneyland attraction of the same name, this movie follows a team of adventurers as they take a rowboat through the jungle, searching for a magical healing tree. The crew consists of captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) and botanist Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), along with her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall). It’s available in theaters and on Disney+, but ended up heavily dominating the box office this weekend, grossing $34 million – more than the other 4 films combined.
by Emily Nagle
Disney’s “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson has sued the company over releasing the film on Disney+ in addition to a theatrical release.
Lots of pandemic-era Disney films have thrived both on streaming and in theaters, like Cruella and Raya and the Last Dragon. However, Johansson reported that her contract for the film stated that, like Marvel’s past films, “Black Widow” would see a theatrical release before becoming available for home viewing.
Johansson claimed that her compensation for “Black Widow” would be dependent on the film’s box office performance, meaning if people preferred to view it at home, this equates to lost revenue for her. When faced with the lawsuit, Disney shot back at Johansson in a statement on Thursday, asserting that they had not breached the contract, and therefore her claims were invalid.
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Disney wrote in response to Johansson’s claims. “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of ‘Black Widow’ on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 [million] she has received to date.”
After Disney shot down Johansson’s lawsuit, fans expressed their anger on Twitter, with some users blasting Disney and even arguing to boycott the company for not giving the “Black Widow” star the compensation she was promised.
This isn’t the first time Johansson has expressed dissatisfaction with her experience working with Disney’s – in 2019, she revealed that she found her character Natasha Romanoff to be too sexualized, with the other characters objectifying her.
by Emily Nagle
Even after the creation of Peacock, NBCUniversal continues to step up their streaming game.
The company has created hundreds of new openings as part of NBC News Now, their news-themed streaming platform. New hires – including anchors, reporters, and producers – will assist in creating the several hours worth of original programming slated to premiere this fall. Planned programs include a daily primetime news show hosted by senior national correspondent Tom Llamas, as well as a nightly news analysis program hosted by Joshua Johnson of MSNBC’s “The Week”.
“As more consumption shifts to streaming,” Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News, explains of the push, “it’s only natural that we shift more of our attention and resources to serving that audience.”
NBCUniversal isn’t the only company expanding their streaming efforts right now. Last week, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker announced the company’s plan to launch a news-oriented streaming service called CNN+ in early 2022. Much like NBC News, CNN plans to hire hundreds of people to help establish the upcoming streamer, and give it a variety of content.
Having launched in 2019, NBC News Now garners 14 million hours of content watched per month. This free, ad-supported streaming service is available on Peacock, Roku, Youtube, and other free streaming platforms such as Tubi, Pluto, and Xumo. In addition to producing content for mobile, smart TVs, and streaming, it also releases daily content on social media platforms, namely “Stay Tuned”, which was the first daily news show to be added to Snapchat.
by Emily Nagle
“Lucifer” has unveiled the release date for its sixth and final season.
After being renewed for a sixth season last month, fans were on the edge of their seats awaiting to learn the release date. This weekend during the virtual Comic Con at Home, clips of the upcoming season were revealed by Netflix in a panel, and the streamer announced that the show’s final season would debut on September 10.
The trailer
“We spoil a lot in our trailers and we like to do that because we like everyone talking. But this is the final season,” Ellis explained during the panel. “We’re trying to keep our hands really close to the vest. This is the last year that we have secrets [and] can surprise people.”
“Lucifer” first aired on Fox in 2016, receiving mixed reviews from critics and low ratings. After three seasons, the network cancelled the series in 2018, with Netflix picking it up one month later. After a critically acclaimed fourth season, “Lucifer” received two more seasons on Netflix, where its ratings skyrocketed. The series follows Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis)
by Emily Nagle
Long-time streaming king Netflix will be branching into the gaming industry this year.
Netflix announced their plan on Tuesday in their Q2 shareholder letter, explaining that it is inspired by their interactive specials, including Black Mirror Bandersnatch and Minecraft: Story Mode. Games will start out on mobile platforms before they are released on smart TVs, consoles, or web browsers.
It’s clear that Netflix’s strategy differs from that of their competitors, who have been focused more on consolidation; the last decade has seen more acquisitions and mergers than ever before, with recent developments including Warner Bros. Discovery . Rather than acquiring more intellectual properties, games would allow Netflix to expand on the IP they already have. On the other hand, a game could be the start of a new hit series or film.
“We know the fans of our stories want to go deep and engage further,” Netflix chief operating officer and chief product officer Greg Peters described of the streamer’s interactive content. “What’s great about interactive is you can provide universes that provide a significant amount of time where people can engage and explore.”
by Emily Nagle
As of May, Samsung’s free Smart TV Plus streaming service is available on the web. This makes the platform accessible to not just Samsung customers, but anyone with Internet access.
This new feature had a soft release, as it was never formally announced by Samsung. While it may not have been hyped up by the company, this development will make the streamer more widespread. Samsung TV Plus has been around since 2016, but this new update finally puts it on par with other ad-supported streamers, like Peacock, Pluto TV, and Plex.
Samsung TV Plus has been installed on more than 50 million smart TVs across 23 countries. In the United States, the streamer provides access to more than 150 channels, including Bloomberg TV+, USA Today, and Vice.
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