As Hollywood faces tariff trouble, don’t downplay the China problem
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you know that Hollywood is already in a tough spot. President Trump’s tariffs, the resulting stock market volatility and…
Why Hollywood is not alarmed enough about Gen Z
Last week, people from all over the film industry descended on Las Vegas to debate the future of the theatrical experience at CinemaCon, the annual…
The 2025 box office is off to a terrible start. Is the problem supply or demand?
The first quarter of 2025 has been bleak for the movie theater business. The year that many analysts thought would be the one when the…
Paramount+ gains altitude from streaming bets. Can it compete long term?
When Paramount+ launched in 2021, there were plenty of reasons to believe the service with the self-proclaimed “mountain of entertainment” would end up relegated to…
‘Anora’ director Sean Baker’s ‘battle cry’ for theaters may fall on deaf ears
Sean Baker, the now four-time Oscar-winning filmmaker behind best picture champion “Anora,” made the most of the moment when he accepted the trophy for directing.Speaking…
For many viewers, YouTube is TV now. What that means for Hollywood
Netflix rightly gets a lot of the attention for winning the streaming wars, but that obscures the dominance of what is the leading online entertainment…
The Oscars are Hollywood’s infomercial. But the awards and movies are getting more niche
At its core, the Oscars telecast is supposed to serve as a three-hour infomercial for the movie business. But celebrating the year in film is…
Sundance 2025: Marlee and Pee-wee take celeb docs to next level
PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to…
Sundance: Jacinda Ardern on why ’empathetic leadership’ matters
PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to…
Michelle Satter, her home burned in Palisades fire, accepts Sundance award
PARK CITY, Utah — Welcome to a special Sundance Daily edition of the Wide Shot, a newsletter about the business of entertainment. Sign up here to…
What should we expect at Sundance 2025? We asked the sellers
A quick heads-up to Wide Shot subscribers: The newsletter is going back to Sundance! I will be in Los Angeles but my colleague Matt Brennan…
Focus features chairman talks ‘Nosferatu,’ ‘Conclave’ and Sundance
Before getting into the main topic of this week’s newsletter, we have to acknowledge the story dominating our region. Wildfires have devastated Southern California since…
You survived ’til 2025. Here are the big Hollywood business stories to watch for
Covering the entertainment business is never boring, and 2025 is already shaping up to be another banger as business models that have been around for…
Box office bombs. Cable’s collapse. What went wrong for Hollywood in 2024
Note: The Wide Shot newsletter will be off next week.When chronicling what went wrong in Hollywood in 2024, it’s hard to narrow down the list…
Hollywood year in review: Who won in 2024?
There were plenty of things that went wrong for Hollywood in the year 2024. There were box office flops (sorry, “Joker: Folie à Deux” and…
The 5 best episodes of ‘My So-Called Life’ on Hulu
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who grew up with Angela Chase, Rickie Vasquez and Jordan Catalano. To mark the 30th anniversary of…
The secrets behind ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’s’ suburban At Attin
This story contains spoilers for “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” Episode 3.There’s more to At Attin than meets the eye.The peaceful and orderly planet introduced in…
How YouTube and Netflix are changing the business of kids’ shows
It’s 7 a.m. Do you know what your kids are streaming?Although the splashiest shows of the direct-to-consumer video era tend to target grownups, children —…
Disney and Bob Iger reached a pivotal stage in streaming. What’s next?
It took billions of dollars in losses, a company-wide overhaul, cost-cutting and price hikes to get there, but Bob Iger and Walt Disney Co. appear…
Stormtrooper helmet from original Star Wars film sells for eye-watering sum
A STORMTROOPER helmet from the original Star Wars film has sold for £325,000.It featured in the Jedi mind trick scene from 1977 movie, later renamed…