star wars

The pitched battle for Warner Bros. took yet another turn Monday night as Paramount Skydance enhanced its bid for the storied studio.

The decision by Warner Bros. Discovery to leave the door slightly ajar for Paramount came after weeks of pressure from its leader, tech scion David Ellison, and his billionaire father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

The media company has been vying to acquire Warner since late last year, and that fight only increased after the “Casablanca” and “Harry Potter” studio chose Netflix as the winning bidder back in December.

The bidding war has divided Hollywood’s creative community, with filmmakers, producers and unions all staking positions on the deal.

The latest to weigh in was “Avatar” and “Titanic” director James Cameron, who reportedly described Warner’s sale to Netflix as “disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business” in a Feb. 10 letter to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chair of the Senate subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights.

“I am very familiar not only with ships that sail, but also those that sink,” he wrote. “And the theatrical experience of movies could become a sinking ship.”

Actor Mark Ruffalo shot back at Cameron: “Are you also against the monopolization that a Paramount acquisition would create? Or is it just that of Netflix?” he posted on Threads over the weekend, adding that he was “speaking on behalf of hundreds of thousands of filmmakers worldwide.”

Regardless of which bidder prevails, consolidation in the industry is a major fear, particularly after waves of job cuts due to the pandemic and pullbacks in production spending amid streaming losses. And for the theatrical exhibition business, any merger revives concerns about an even greater decrease in films headed to theaters — particularly if the winning bidder is Netflix.

The health and future of cinemas is an especially sensitive topic in Hollywood. Box office revenue still has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, and some fear it never will, leaving theaters scrambling for alternative ways to fill their auditoriums.

Paramount has positioned itself as a champion for theatrical films, and David Ellison has said a combined Paramount and Warner Bros. would release 30 films a year.

But theater owner trade group Cinema United and the Writers Guild of America have warned that further consolidation would further concentrate the entertainment business, bringing more layoffs and theater closures.

Netflix co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos has since tried to temper these concerns.

In a recent Senate subcommittee hearing, he pledged to maintain a 45-day theatrical window for Warner Bros. films, while also saying the deal would increase production investments going forward. In a recent letter to Lee responding to Cameron’s missive, Sarandos said he had previously spoken with the director in December about Netflix’s plans for Warner Bros., and that he had been “very supportive.”

Then there’s the politics of it all.

My colleague Meg James has written about Paramount’s efforts to use its political influence with the Trump administration to push its deal — and undermine Netflix’s. Paramount has declined to comment on the matter.

To put it mildly, Trump is a deeply unpopular figure in liberal-leaning Hollywood.

Creatives have feared a chilling effect on speech, particularly after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has aggressively tried to enforce long-dormant rules that require broadcast TV stations to give equal time to opposing candidates. The free-speech matter came to a head last year, when Carr warned that ABC could lose its TV station licenses after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made a remark about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

More recently, the equal-time rules resurfaced when CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert blasted his own network over its handling of his interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Colbert said that CBS told him he could not air the interview because it would require giving equal time to Talarico’s opponents in the Senate primary and that he was instructed not to talk about the issue on the air, which he refused. CBS has disputed Colbert’s comments, saying he was not prohibited from airing the interview.

News industry insiders also raised concerns after the installation of Bari Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News. Two months into her tenure, she made the decision to pull a “60 Minutes” episode that investigated the alleged abuse of detainees sent from the U.S. to an El Salvador prison, a highly unusual step that critics interpreted as a decision to placate the Trump administration.

CBS News, which aired the episode in January, denied the claim, saying the piece had only been held for additional reporting.

On the film side, Paramount continues to make deals with creatives, including the irreverent South Park creators, who have churned out parodies of the Trump administration, “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu and writer, producer and actor Issa Rae, who in a statement earlier this year vowed to “tell stories for and by the diverse communities that have supported my work over the years.”

As the Warner Bros. deal drama unfolds, we’ll see how the lines continue to form in Hollywood’s creative class.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

Sony Pictures Animation’s “Goat” led the domestic box office this weekend with an estimated three-day total of $17 million, beating out the Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi-led “Wuthering Heights.”

The film, which was also produced by Warriors star Stephen Curry’s production company, has bucked the trend for original animated movies, which have largely faltered at theaters in recent years.

What I’m watching

Last week, I watched more Olympic figure skating (who didn’t watch Alysa Liu’s joyful, gold medal-winning performance?), but I’m also now re-watching 2000s teen detective drama “Veronica Mars.” I’m not Gen Z, but my newfound zeal for comfort TV is not unlike the story my colleague Stephen Battaglio wrote last year about young people’s interest in nostalgic shows.

“That’s my pot dealer!” exclaimed Michelle Phillips in a crowded movie theater in 1977. Months earlier, the Mamas & the Papas singer had only known Harrison Ford as a stoner-carpenter with a few bit parts to his credit. Now he was Han Solo in “Star Wars,” directed by a young upstart, George Lucas. Clearly the world was changing.

How much, though? Conventional wisdom about the Hollywood renaissance of the ‘60s and ‘70s suggests that starting with “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Easy Rider,” a batch of emerging auteurs shook the studios out of a rut and transformed American film. There’s plenty of truth to that: Francis Ford Coppola’s shift in 10 years from a director-for-hire on an old-hat musical, “Finian’s Rainbow,” to the auteur behind “Apocalypse Now” is just one of the era’s most remarkable achievements.

A pair of new books, though, suggest that the overall shift was only so modest, ultimately shoring up not just the old-school studio system but the social norms the interlopers were supposed to be upending.

Paul Fischer’s lively history of the new wave of California directors, “The Last Kings of Hollywood,” concentrates on Lucas, Coppola and Steven Spielberg. (New York contemporaries like Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma are present but relatively off-screen.) Fischer has a gift for highlighting the ways that moments that we now accept as inevitable were often the product of dumb luck, pyrrhic victories and tough decisions. Coppola made “The Godfather” out of financial desperation, averse to adapting a mob novel; Spielberg’s “Jaws” was beset with mishaps, from a foolhardy attempt to train a real shark to its malfunctioning mechanical one; only when Lucas learned that the rights to Flash Gordon were unavailable did he pursue a space-opera concept all his own.

Their brashness and can-do spirit were worth cheering for: As the trio delivered films that broke box office records — ”The Godfather,” “American Graffiti,” “Jaws” and more — there were reasons to believe that big-budget films could operate outside the studio system. Lucas in particular was driven as much by resentment of the old as passion for the new. He never forgot how Warner Bros. manhandled his debut feature, “THX 1138” and was driven to muscle “Graffiti” into existence to spite the suits who said he couldn’t. In 1969, Coppola and Lucas launched their own studio, American Zoetrope, in San Francisco, with a passel of scripts in progress (including “Apocalypse Now” and “The Conversation”) and a $300,000 investment from Warner Bros. But Coppola wasn’t much of a businessman, and he had an easier time putting the office’s fancy espresso machine to work than the suite of state-of-the-art editing bays: “He ran his business like he ran a film set — on vibes,” Fischer writes.

A decade later, both Coppola and Zoetrope would declare bankruptcy, and he would split with Lucas, who’d used the success of “Star Wars” to cut his own path as a Hollywood kingmaker via his own production company, Lucasfilm. It allowed him to indulge his love of classic cliffhanger serials, and he tapped Spielberg to direct “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” But Fischer frames Lucas’ career arc as a disappointment, despite all those dollar figures — Lucas wanted to return to artsier “THX”-style fare, but needed cash flow. “If George was ever going to be independent from Hollywood, he thought he wouldn’t get there by making abstract mood poems,” Fischer writes. By the ‘80s, with two “Star Wars” sequels done, Lucas was out of the mood-poem business entirely.

While “Last Kings” focuses exclusively on directors’ relationship to movie economics, Kirk Ellis’ “They Kill People” considers “Bonnie and Clyde” and the New Hollywood from a variety of angles — filmmaking, the social turmoil of the ‘60s, America’s complex relationship with outlaws in general and guns in particular. It’s a meaty yet accessible book that captures the lightning-in-a-bottle nature of the generation’s ur-text, capturing the unlikely nature of its creation and the somewhat dodgy nature of its legacy.

“Bonnie” was such a provocation — nakedly, almost giddily violent — that its studio, Warner Bros, all but willed it not to exist. It was given a shoestring budget, was mocked by studio chief Jack Warner (who sarcastically referred to director Arthur Penn and producer-star Warren Beatty as “the geniuses”), and initially released largely in Southern drive-ins. “They figured the redneck kids would like the guns,” Penn said.

Everybody liked the guns. A few scolding critics lamented the film’s violence, especially its then-shocking bloody finale, but Beatty and co-star Faye Dunaway were deeply seductive onscreen. (Ellis notes that the two are always the best-dressed characters in the film.) And its outlaw sensibility resonated with young audiences in the late‘60s. Moreover, writes Ellis (a historical-drama screenwriter best known for “John Adams”), it represented the culmination of decades of American culture that equated American gun culture with freedom — a notion that would’ve baffled the founding fathers, who dwelled little on gun-rights matters in the Federalist Papers and other constitutional drafting documents, but gained traction thanks to gun manufacturers. “In the printed legend of American history, guns and freedom have become synonymous,” Ellis writes, but it was a new legend — stoked in part by “Bonnie and Clyde” — not America’s origin story.

It’d be a mistake to reduce the New Hollywood to the filmmakers highlighted by these two books — though, focused as they are on white men, they echo the way women and people of color were largely shut out of the system, or relegated to more marginal blaxploitation work. Artists looking to operate outside the system have plenty of inspiration to draw from in the ‘70s. Yet the books also expose how commerce does what it always does — take provocations and sand the edges off of them, then look for ways to make them profitable. In the early ‘80s, a decade after Coppola and company stormed the barricades, Paramount chief Michael Eisner shared a fresh and contradictory vision, such as it was: “We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective.”

It would take another decade — and auteurs on the East Coast — to launch another attack on that sensibility, via films like “Do the Right Thing” and “sex, lies, and videotape.” They would help usher in the Miramax era — but that’s another story, with its own problematic twists.

Athitakis is a writer in Phoenix and author of “The New Midwest.”

It has been a roller coaster week for theme parks boss Josh D’Amaro, who was named the next chief executive of Walt Disney Co. last week.

Once he officially takes the helm of the Mouse House in mid-March, he must tackle several key areas to chart the future of the 102-year-old media and entertainment giant.

For one, he’ll need to bolster Disney’s pipeline of content. As the saying goes, “content is king.”

The Burbank company already has a strong stable of franchises and stories that power its entertainment and streaming businesses, theme parks, merchandise and cruise ships, but Disney will need to keep building on that.

Strong sequels like last year’s “Zootopia 2” and live-action adaptations such as “Lilo & Stitch” — both of which grossed more than $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue — show that good stories can keep paying dividends in new ways, Moffett Nathanson senior research analyst Robert Fishman wrote in a note to clients last week.

On the bright side: This year’s film lineup has several historically strong franchise contenders, including Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” and Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Doomsday.” (Marvel, however, has struggled in recent years to pump out consistent hits at the box office.)

But Disney also needs to develop new stories — which has been more of a struggle.

Disney and Pixar’s “Elio” misfired at the box office last year, as original animated movies have had a harder time bringing in the massive audiences they once did because of the drop-off in theater attendance since the pandemic.

That puts more pressure on Disney and Pixar’s upcoming “Hoppers,” an original animated film out in March. The film has gotten strong early traction in online trailer views, Fishman wrote.

The content investment also extends to scripted series, which Fishman noted are a “critical component of success and cannot become an afterthought to theatrical.” He singled out Disney-owned FX as a “prestige outlet” that can contribute to both television and streaming lineups. The network has had a number of successes, including 2024’s “Shogun,” which was one of my favorites.

D’Amaro likely will get help on the content side from soon-to-be president and chief creative officer Dana Walden, a longtime television executive who is respected in Hollywood and well-versed in the entertainment knowledge he lacks.

D’Amaro’s area of expertise is Disney’s experiences sector, which includes the theme parks, cruise line, merchandise and Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii and brings in the lion’s share of operating income for the company. In the fiscal first quarter of this year, the experiences business hauled in a record $10 billion in revenue.

The challenge there will be maintaining Disney’s market dominance in the theme park space while continuing to invest to drive growth and managing attendance in the face of ongoing competition from arch rival Universal Studios.

On the investment front, Disney is all in. The experiences business is in the midst of a 10-year, $60-billion expansion project that would add new themed lands to parks around the world, including at Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort. The company also is building a park in Abu Dhabi and added new cruise ships.

In the near term, however, are concerns about “international visitation headwinds” at Disney’s U.S. parks. The company signaled in its most recent earnings call that those foreign visitor trends could contribute to “modest” operating income growth for the experiences division in the fiscal second quarter, along with pre-launch costs for a new cruise ship and an upcoming “Frozen” land in Disneyland Paris.

To keep attendance rates up, the company shifted its marketing and promotional focus to a more domestic audience, said Hugh Johnston, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, on the earnings call. But stock analysts — and D’Amaro — undoubtedly will be keeping an eye on international attendance rates and what that will mean for the theme parks going forward.

The part of the company with the potential to drive the most growth, analysts say, is its streaming business.

After recording billions of dollars in losses, Disney’s streaming services, which included Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, finally reached profitability in 2024. The company’s next goal is to reach 10% operating margins in its entertainment streaming business comprised of Disney+ and Hulu — a milestone that would give investors confidence in its vision.

To get there, continued investment in local language content will be a key priority to increase international subscriptions, as well as bolstering the tech that powers the platforms and provides recommendations.

In short, D’Amaro faces a choice.

“Some investors are thinking, ‘Will he choose to be the same? Or can he start a new era?’” asked Laurent Yoon, senior analyst at Bernstein.

At least one former Disney CEO has weighed in.

“My advice to Josh is continue Bob Iger’s strategy that creativity will handle profits, always protect the brand, and keep close the words of Walt Disney: ‘We love to entertain kings and queens, but the vital thing to remember is this — every guest receives the VIP treatment,’” Michael Eisner posted on social media last week.

But D’Amaro’s own words provide an idea of what he’s thinking. At a global town hall meeting with Disney employees last week, D’Amaro spoke about the company’s legacy — and its path forward.

“We are 100 years old, but we’re 100 years young as well, willing to embrace new technology, new creators and new markets,” he said. “That willingness to change and take risks is what keeps the brand going, and it’s something I intend to continue to push on.”

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

Post-apocalyptic horror film “Iron Lung” has grossed $34.3 million in worldwide box office revenue, a remarkable number given the film’s reported $3 million production budget and self-distribution route.

Written, directed and executive produced by YouTuber Mark Fischbach, who goes by the online alias of Markiplier and also stars in the film, “Iron Lung” follows the story of a convict who sails a blood ocean in a submarine. The movie had a $17.8-million opening during the weekend of Jan. 30, placing it right behind Disney’s 20th Century Studios’ “Send Help,” which grossed about $19.1 million in its debut. “Iron Lung” picked up an additional $6 million this past weekend.

Its success reignited the debate about self-distribution and the theatrical draw of content creators.

What I’m watching

Since the Olympics started last week, I’ve been all in on figure skating, a sport I’ve watched since I was a kid who marveled at the artistry and athleticism of stars like Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano and Michelle Kwan.

So I was supremely interested in this piece by my colleague Thuc Nhi Nguyen about the strength of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team this year, and the camaraderie between U.S. women Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito.

Disney Cruise Line has confirmed the Disney Wish will sail from Southampton for the first time in summer 2027 with European itineraries – and I’ve been onboard to review the incredible ship

Mickey Mouse fans across Britain, it’s time to dust off those iconic ears – because we’re about to welcome an unprecedented wave of Disney enchantment next summer.

In a historic first, the Disney Wish cruise liner will set sail from British shores. Launching from Southampton, the flagship vessel of Disney Cruise Line’s Wish class fleet is confirmed to embark on a series of sun-drenched European voyages throughout summer 2027.

This maiden European adventure will feature sailings ranging from three to 10 nights, departing from the UK, Spain or Italy, with exciting new ports of call including Zadar in Croatia, Trieste close to Venice in Italy, and Hellesylt in Norway.

Having recently experienced the Disney Wish firsthand with my other half and our two year old, I was absolutely thrilled when this announcement dropped – especially since I’ve already been daydreaming about our next voyage. Here’s my guide to the standout features aboard the Disney Wish, and exactly why I’ll be at the front of that virtual queue when bookings launch later this month.

The entertainment

Adults, prepare to unleash your inner child aboard the Wish (whilst, in our experience, your little one also literally unleashes theirs). This isn’t your typical cruise offering a single show, a handful of activities, and then leaving you lounging aimlessly poolside.

Instead, expect an action-packed schedule brimming with spectacular performances, trivia contests, deck celebrations, live musical acts, and two cinemas screening the freshest Disney releases alongside timeless favourites. For those preferring a more relaxed approach, there’s ample poolside real estate – and the onboard spa continuously tempted us throughout our stay.

The ship’s top deck boasts several pools, a feature I particularly appreciate as it prevents overcrowding in one spot. However, being someone who can’t sit idle for more than a couple of minutes, I made a beeline for the AquaMouse water slide.

With its twists, turns and initial surprises, it’s easy to see why it’s dubbed Disney’s first sea attraction – it wouldn’t feel out of place in a theme park!

Deck parties are another must-add to your schedule. On the day of embarkation, Mickey Mouse and his pals host a ‘Sail Away’ party on the top deck that’s well worth attending. Expect lively music, dancing and a grand countdown before the ship’s horn blares out a Disney melody!

One evening is always dedicated to a pirate theme. Dress up, meet characters like Captain Hook, and join in the fun with Mickey and friends at parties featuring spectacular fireworks at sea (Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise company permitted to offer this).

A visit to the theatre promises a fantastic show, whether it’s the charming ‘Seas the Day’ performance, or West End-calibre productions of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.

The Kids’ Club

Families must give a big cheer for the exceptional kids’ club, known as the Oceaneer Club. Included in the cruise package, it boasts zones inspired by Marvel, Star Wars and the Disney Princesses.

We barely saw our friends’ children all week; they were utterly smitten with the place!

The Oceaneer Club caters to children aged 3 and above, so our toddler was a tad too young but there were open house hours where he could scamper about, including ‘Toddler Time’ which provided a fantastic space for him to burn off some energy.

A handy hint for other parents; the Small World Nursery accommodates babies and toddlers under 3. You’ll need to book and it’s an additional $10 per hour, but it does afford you that much-needed breather if you fancy a trip to the spa or an adults-only bar!

Character encounters

An often overlooked benefit of a Disney cruise is the ease of meeting the characters. Besides the shows, there are plenty of chances to meet your favourites throughout the day, with queues typically lasting around 10-15 minutes.

Characters roam the ship, and you can also join dance parties where they’ll have a little jig with the kids – a truly delightful interaction. For princess fans, it’s worth trying to secure a spot for A Royal Gathering; this is free but fills up fast, offering you the opportunity for meet and greets with the likes of Cinderella, Belle, Moana and Rapunzel.

The food

Disney cruises operate on an all-inclusive basis, and even with my most valiant attempts, I’m fairly certain I didn’t manage to sample every single dining venue on offer. Beyond the Marceline Market eatery featuring a conventional buffet spread, passengers can indulge in pizzas, tacos and barbecue fare at the Festival of Foods street food-inspired zone, or help themselves to the self-serve ice cream stations.

For dinner service, Disney has a ‘rotational dining’ system which eliminates the scramble for bookings; you’re guaranteed a table at each of the ship’s three restaurants. There’s a Frozen-themed venue complete with live entertainment and abundant character meet-and-greets, the sophisticated 1923 which exudes elegance whilst paying homage to legendary Disney pictures, and the Worlds of Marvel restaurant where guests become immersed in an interactive superhero escapade.

Whilst these are all covered in your fare, additional premium options are available for an extra charge. Brunch at the Palo Steakhouse proved to be a genuinely memorable experience for our party.

Reservations are required, but this adults-only establishment truly embodied fine dining, with the cuisine being utterly exquisite. Pastries, pizzas, brunch staples such as Eggs Royale and puddings all feature on the bill of fare.

A cautionary note; it’s unlimited dining and those servings are substantial – I genuinely believed I might never manage another morsel. (This proved incorrect the instant I spotted the Inside Out inspired confectionery shop, where I constructed an ice cream creation that I suspect has left me on a sugar rush ever since).

For those partial to an evening drink, there’s a variety of options. The Bayou lounge offers live music, exquisite cocktails and a relaxed vibe, while Nightingale’s is an adults-only bar.

However, it was the themed bars that kept drawing me back – from the Star Wars-inspired Hyperspace Lounge, where you feel as though you’re journeying through space, to the pirate-themed Keg and Compass pub, where you can enjoy a proper pint.

My verdict

I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the Disney Wish; it truly caters to everyone. It’s a sophisticated ship with ample adults-only areas for those seeking tranquillity, but there’s also plenty of room for families.

The overall atmosphere is fantastic, and it’s definitely one I’ll be keen to book again. Plus, on a personal note, the extra sprinkle of Disney magic worked wonders for us; amidst all the excitement and fun during the day, our two year old actually managed to sleep through the night!

Want to book it for yourself? The Disney Wish will embark on 3, 4 and 5-night European sailings in summer 2027. Bookings open on February 23, 2026. For more details, visit disneycruiseline.com.